Billionaire Ambani’s Son Wants To Save Pablo Escobar’s ‘Cocaine Hippos’
The wildlife rescuer son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Indias richest man, is publicly pleading with the Colombian government to let his organization take ownership of 80 wild hippopotamuses marked for death decades after drug lord Pablo Escobar first introduced the species to the country. AFP via Getty Images Key Facts Anant Ambani, who founded the Vantara wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation center in Indias western state of Gujarat, on Tuesday asked the Colombian government to reconsider its plan to kill 80 of the animals in efforts to control their population. The number of hippos, an invasive species not native to Colombia, is nearing 200 and some of the animals have attacked fishermen and are destroying parts of the Magdalena River, the government said. Officials authorized the plan to kill dozens of the so-called “cocaine hippos” earlier this month after saying theyd exhausted all other options to manage the population, including sterilization programs, experimental contraceptives and relocation efforts, to no avail. But Vantara says it wants to take over care of the hippos and says it has the “veterinary expertise, appropriate infrastructure, husbandry systems and welfare protocols” to do it. Ambani said in a statement that the hippos “did not choose where they were born,” adding, “if we