In a major international wildlife conservation initiative, Anant Ambani has appealed to the Colombian government to suspend its proposed culling of 80 invasive hippopotamuses and instead consider relocating them to India’s Vantara in Gujarat.
Ambani, Executive Director of Reliance Industries and founder of Vantara, has written to Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres offering a fully funded, science-led rescue and translocation programme for the animals.
The proposal seeks to move the hippos from Colombia’s Magdalena River basin to a specially designed habitat in Jamnagar, where they would receive lifelong care under expert veterinary supervision.
Colombia’s Hippo Crisis
The hippos in question are descendants of animals illegally imported in the 1980s and left behind after the fall of drug lord Pablo Escobar. Over the decades, the population has expanded rapidly in Colombia’s river systems, with estimates placing the current number at around 200.
Authorities in Colombia have increasingly classified them as an invasive species, citing risks to biodiversity, agriculture, waterways, and local communities. Their growing numbers have triggered a contentious debate over how to control the population, with culling recently authorised for 80 animals.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups and conservationists who argue that humane alternatives should be explored first.
‘They Did Not Choose Where They Were Born’
In his appeal, Ambani said the animals should not be punished for circumstances created by humans.
“These eighty hippos did not choose where they were born, nor did they create the situation they now face,” he said.
“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.”
Under the proposal, Vantara would handle capture logistics, veterinary sedation protocols, quarantine systems, transport planning, biosecurity safeguards and long-term care. The plan also requests Colombia to defer the cull while technical and diplomatic approvals are reviewed.
Any transfer would require permissions from the governments of Colombia and India, along with wildlife and international transport regulators.
Why The Operation Is Complex
Relocating hippos is considered one of the most technically challenging wildlife operations in the world. Adult hippos can weigh over three tonnes, are highly territorial, and require specialised containment and sedation procedures.
Experts say moving 80 such animals across continents would involve phased capture operations, chartered transport, temperature-controlled enclosures, medical supervision, and post-arrival acclimatisation.
Despite the complexity, Ambani’s team has projected confidence that the mission can be executed using international standards and scientific oversight.
Vantara’s Growing Role In Wildlife Rescue
Vantara, located in Jamnagar, has emerged as one of the world’s most ambitious integrated wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation facilities. Spread across a vast campus, the centre is equipped with modern veterinary hospitals, species-specific habitats, quarantine zones, rescue enclosures and research infrastructure.
The facility has taken in rescued elephants, big cats, reptiles, birds and other animals requiring specialised treatment or long-term rehabilitation. It has drawn attention for combining conservation science with advanced veterinary care and habitat restoration.
Vantara has also positioned itself as a centre for wildlife welfare innovation, with teams focused on nutrition, behavioural enrichment, diagnostics, surgery, trauma care and captive breeding support where legally permitted.
Habitat Designed To Mimic Nature
According to officials, if the Colombian proposal moves ahead, the hippos would be housed in a purpose-built landscape designed to replicate natural wetland ecosystems, including water bodies, grazing areas, mud zones and climate-sensitive shelters.
The idea would be not merely to contain the animals, but to provide an environment where they can live with dignity under managed care for the remainder of their lives.
Vantara’s planners believe such model habitats can demonstrate how large-scale humane wildlife solutions may work when wild populations become ecologically unsustainable elsewhere.
Global Conservation Significance
If accepted, the relocation would rank among the most unusual transcontinental animal rescue operations ever attempted. It would also mark a rare case of a private Indian conservation institution stepping forward to solve a complex ecological challenge overseas.
Supporters say the move could create a template for future collaborations between governments, scientists and philanthropic conservation groups dealing with invasive or displaced wildlife populations.
For now, attention turns to Bogotá and whether Colombian authorities will pause the cull long enough to evaluate the Indian proposal.
If approved, the descendants of Escobar’s infamous hippos may find an unlikely final home thousands of miles away—in Gujarat.
