Anant Ambani Appeals To Colombia To Spare 80 Hippos, Proposes Relocation To Vantara

Mumbai: Vantara's founder and Reliance Industries Limited's executive director Anant Ambani has petitioned the Colombian government to halt the lethal removal of 80 hippopotamuses from Colombia’s Magdalena River basin. He offered to privately fund a massive translocation of the animals to a permanent home at the Vantara wildlife rescue and conservation center in Gujarat's Jamnagar.

Colombia authorised culling of invasive Escobar-era hippos

​The Colombian government recently authorised the lethal removal of 80 hippos to manage a population that has swelled to approximately 200. Classified as an invasive species, the animals, which are descendants of a small group imported by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, have been cited for causing significant ecosystem damage and threatening the safety of local riverine communities.

Following a massive uproar against the authorisation, Ambani wrote to Colombia's Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Irene Vélez Torres to stay the execution and consider Vantara’s proposal for a "safe, scientifically led translocation." The letter, dated April 28, offered a comprehensive, privately funded alternative of a massive scientific translocation of the animals.

Vantara offers expert-led capture, transport, and naturalistic habitat in Gujarat

​Vantara, recognised as one of the world's largest rescue and conservation facilities, has offered to manage the entire operation. The proposal submitted to Colombian authorities includes expert oversight of veterinary leadership and specialised capture and transport teams, strict protocols to ensure safe movement across international borders, a naturalistic setting in Gujarat designed to mirror the critical ecological features of the Magdalena River basin and a commitment to providing permanent sanctuary for all 80 individuals.

​Ambani emphasised that the operation would be conducted entirely on Colombia’s terms and under the direction of its authorities. "Compassion and public safety are not opposing forces," he added, noting that sound science can protect both ecosystems and animal life. ​"These eighty hippos did not choose where they were born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face. 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,” he said.

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