India, April 15 -- Colombia's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development has approved a plan to euthanise hippos descended from four individuals brought by drug lord Pablo Escobar to the country in the 1980s, according to a statement issued on April 13, 2026.

"The National Government, through the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, activated a shock plan to tackle the expanding numbers of hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) in Colombia, incorporating for the first time a technical euthanasia protocol as part of a comprehensive strategy based on scientific evidence," the statement noted.

"There are two ways to reduce the hippopotamus population: translocation and euthanasia. The latter is a technical measure, part o...