Colombian authorities have approved a plan to kill up to 80 hippos roaming freely in the Magdalena River valley, descendants of four animals imported by drug lord Pablo Escobar for his private zoo at Hacienda Nápoles in the 1980s. Environment Minister Irene Vélez said the decision came after years of costly and largely ineffective attempts to control the population through neutering and relocation, with an estimated 170 hippos now spread across the country — the only wild hippo population outside Africa. The animals have displaced native species such as river manatees, posed dangers to local villagers, and have been spotted more than 100 kilometres from the original ranch, prompting officials to warn that a cull is necessary to protect Colombia's ecosystems.