AdvertisementAsiaAnant Ambani, the son of tycoon Mukesh Ambani, said he had put in a formal request to the Colombian government to stay a decision to kill the animals.Hippos float in the lagoon at Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who imported three female hippos and one male decades ago in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia. (Photo: AP/Fernando Vergara)28 Apr 2026 05:48PM (Updated: 28 Apr 2026 06:01PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST NEW DELHI: An Indian billionaire's son offered on Tuesday (Apr 28) to take 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 centre.The vast zoo in India's western state of Gujarat bills itself as "one of the world's largest wildlife rescue, care and conservation centres".Show MoreShow LessVantara is already home to hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles, among other animals, according to India's Central Zoo Authority.Experts have repeatedly sounded the alarm on Vantara's massive animal intake, including the import of critically endangered and rare species.Escobar brought hippos - which are native only to Africa and can weigh up to several tonnes - to Colombia in the 1980s.After Escobar's death, hippos from his private zoo made a new life in the lush river banks of Colombia's Magdalena River, where they have attacked fishermen, prompting moves to cull them.Wild hippos descended from a small herd introduced by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar munch on grass as they roam near houses in Doradal, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on Apr 23, 2023. (Photo: AFP/Raul Arboleda)Anant Ambani, son of the billionaire head of the multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries, said he had submitted a detailed plan to give the animals a new home at Vantara.The animal centre is sited alongside the Reliance Jamnagar Refinery Complex, which the conglomerate says is the world's largest crude oil refinery.Summers there can get extremely hot, with temperatures soaring above 40°C.Ambani's proposal sets out a veterinary-led capture and transport, as well as the creation of a "purpose-designed naturalistic setting" for the hippos, according to a statement."Vantara has the expertise, infrastructure and resolve to support this effort, entirely on Colombia's terms," the statement said."These 80 hippos did not choose where they were born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face," Ambani added."They are living, sentient beings, and if we have the ability to save them through a safe and humane solution, we have a responsibility to try."Source: AFP/nhNewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...