Mr. Anant Ambani - son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani - proposed receiving hippos originating from drug lord Pablo Escobar's farm instead of letting them be destroyed in Colombia.
Mr. Anant Ambani said that he has sent an official request to the Colombian Government to temporarily suspend the plan to destroy these animals, which is affecting the riverine ecosystem in the South American country. The proposed plan is to relocate about 80 individuals to the Vantara conservation center in Gujarat state, India.
According to the plan, the relocation will be carried out under the supervision of a veterinary team, including arresting, transporting and building a living environment suitable to the natural conditions for hippos. Mr. Anant Ambani affirmed that this facility has sufficient technical capacity and infrastructure to implement it.
Vantara is introduced as one of the largest animal rescue and conservation centers in the world, currently raising hundreds of elephants, along with many species such as bears, tigers, lions, leopards and crocodiles. However, some experts have expressed concern about the large-scale acceptance of animals, including rare species.
Hippopotamus is not a native species of Colombia, brought back from Africa by Pablo Escobar in the 1980s. After this person passed away, they lived in the Magdalena River basin and multiplied rapidly, once attacking fishermen, leading to proposals for destruction.
Mr. Anant Ambani believes that these animals do not choose their own circumstances to exist and need to be treated humanely if there is a suitable solution.
