New Delhi, April 29 -- Anant Ambani, son of Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has recently offered to help Colombia by transporting its 80 hippos to his Vantara animal sanctuary in Gujarat, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

These hippos were linked to the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, who was shot dead by the police in 1993. Escobar illegally imported exotic animals, including a male and a female hippopotamus, dubbed the "cocaine hippos". The herbivorous animals, native to sub-Saharan Africa, were originally imported for Escobar's entertainment; however, the beasts and their offspring were left to roam freely following his death.

The country's Environment Ministry recently warned that the hippo population will exceed 500 by 2030 withou...