Colombia to euthanize, sterilize and transfer some of the descendants of Pablo Escobar's hippos

Colombia’s Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said that "some" of the descendants of Pablo Escobar’s 166 hippos will be euthanized, 20 will be sterilized and others are being transferred outside the country.

The large herd of hippos descended from those originally owned by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, during the peak of the cocaine wars.

Experts are currently seeking different methods to regulate the hippo population to avoid overpopulation.

The notorious “cocaine king” had a fondness for animals and originally imported the African based animals for his personal zoo, a 5,500-acre located at Hacienda Nápoles.

He started out with four hippos, and some giraffes, camels and zebras.

The hacienda was given local residents by the Colombian government after Escobar's death in 1993, and the hippos went free to roam throughout the Colombian countryside.

Colombian authorities have tried to minimize the hippo population explosion in the Magdalena, Colombia's main river, by sterilizing some of the animals and transferring others to foreign zoos.

Unfortunately, their efforts have largely been unsuccessful and the herd has continued to grow.

Experts say a lack of and the fertile and swampy Antioquia region have made it possible for the hippos to continue reproducing without any way to curb their breeding and population growth.

The large African animal became tangled in Colombian politics last year when they were declared an invasive species.

Muhamad said the country is working on trying to relocate as many of the animals as possible.

“We are working on the protocol for the export of the animals,” the environmental minister told Colombian press. “We are not going to export a single animal if there is no authorization from the environmental authority of the other country.”

She said the country was only turning to euthanasia as a last resort, and that it was not the preferred result for any of the animals.

Colombian experts insist the hippos' uncontrolled population growth poses a danger to humans and the jungle’s natural habitat. 

Experts have predicted that the population could reach 1,000 by 2035 if no action is taken, but animal activists say sterilization is cruel has admonished veterinarians it causes suffering to the animals.

Hippos are one of the largest land animals on the planet, with adult males weighing up to 6,600 pounds. They can also be dangerous, and have been responsible for causing about 500 people a year.

Some local fishermen along the Magdalena River have been attacked by the animals and in one instance, a herd of hippos invaded a school yard. No one was killed in that incident.

Pablo Escobar was the leader of the Medellín cartel and known widely as the "cocaine king." He has been the subject of and inspiration of many characters in Hollywood films and television shows.

During his reign, he was able to make an estimated $30 billion by smuggling cocaine and other narcotics into Miami.

During his time controlling his Colombian drug empire, he oversaw hundreds of murders, kidnappings, bombings, corruption and bribery of public officials. At one stage, he even served as an elected official.

After he became a fugitive, he surrendered to Colombian authorities in 1991, agreeing to serve  five years in a prison he built, known as La Catedral.

He escaped a year later after the government wanted to transfer him to a maximum security facility.

He was ultimately shot dead on a Rionegro in December 1993 while trying to escape from police.