Tycoon's son offers home for "cocaine hippos" slated to be killed
Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has offered to relocate 80 'cocaine hippos' from Colombia to his Vantara wildlife conservation center in India, proposing a humane alternative to government plans to cull the invasive animals. The hippos, descendants of those brought to Colombia by drug lord Pablo Escobar, have multiplied and disrupted local ecosystems. Ambani's plan includes a scientifically guided translocation process and the creation of a naturalistic habitat for the animals. The Colombian government has previously sought international solutions due to the high cost and ecological impact of managing the growing hippo population.
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World Billionaire's son offers home for Colombia's "cocaine hippos" rather than have them killed April 28, 2026 / 11:36 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google An Indian billionaire's son offered on Tuesday to take the so-called "cocaine hippos" descended from those introduced to Colombia by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, rather than have the animals killed.Anant Ambani, the son of tycoon Mukesh Ambani, said he had formally requested the Colombian government to stay a decision to kill the animals, which have wreaked havoc on rivers in the South American nation.Instead, he has asked to allow the "safe, scientifically-led translocation that would bring the 80 animals to a permanent home" at his Vantara animal center.The vast zoo in India's western state of Gujarat bills itself as "one of the…
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