A Drug Lord Smuggled 4 Hippos Into Colombia. Now There Are Hundreds.

[!NOTE] Historical File: A Drug Lord Smuggled 4 Hippos Into Colombia. Now There Are Hundreds. Location: Colombia | Era: Archival History | Format: Documentary & Narrative Record

The Untold Story

In the 1980s, a drug lord smuggled four hippos into Colombia for his private zoo. Today, there are over two hundred of them - and nobody can stop it.

Pablo Escobar built his own private zoo on his ranch, complete with giraffes, elephants, and hippos flown in illegally from Africa.

When Escobar was killed in 1993, most of the animals were relocated. The hippos were too dangerous and too expensive to move - so they were simply left behind.

Hacienda Nápoles, Colombia • 4 hippos left behind in 1993 • Now estimated at 200+ • No natural predators in Colombia

With no predators and endless river access, the hippos kept breeding. Biologists now call them the largest invasive species crisis on the planet.

Colombia has tried relocating them, sterilizing them, even culling them - and they keep spreading. Descendants of a drug lord’s pets are still breeding wild today.