Colombian authorities face a challenge to their plan to cull Pablo Escobar's invasive hippo population after an Indian billionaire offered to relocate dozens of the animals to wildlife reserves in India instead.

The hippos, originally part of the late drug lord's private zoo at his Hacienda Nápoles estate, have become a significant ecological concern in Colombia. After Escobar's death in 1993, the hippos were largely left unattended and have since multiplied in the wild, with their population growing substantially over the past three decades.

Colombian environmental officials have classified the hippos as an invasive species that poses threats to local ecosystems and biodiversity. The animals have no natural predators in South America and compete with native species for resources while potentially altering river ecosystems.

The government's proposed culling program aims to control the expanding hippo population, which has spread beyond the original estate into nearby rivers and wetlands. However, the Indian billionaire's relocation proposal presents an alternative approach that would transfer the animals to managed wildlife facilities in India.

The hippos have become a complex issue for Colombian authorities, balancing ecological concerns with animal welfare considerations and practical challenges of managing a large population of dangerous exotic animals in an environment where they do not naturally belong.