NEW YORK, April 14. /TASS/. Colombian authorities have approved a plan to euthanize a part of the hippopotamus population brought into the country by drug lord Pablo Escobar, CBS News reported.

The first four of the so-called cocaine hippos arrived at Escobar’s private ranch in the central part of the Magdalena River valley in the late 1980s. After his death in 1993, the animals began to freely roam around. As a result, their population rapidly grew and is now estimated at around 170 hippos.

The lack of natural predators or hunters has made the large mammals a threat to the local ecosystem, experts noted. This particularly affects manatees, otters, and turtles, as well as river fish that hippos consume in large quantities. Such large animals also pose a danger to residents of nearby villages.

Initially, authorities considered transporting the hippos back to their native Africa but the plan turned out to be too expensive, costing roughly $3.5 million per animal. Attempts to sterilize the hippos and transfer them to zoos were unsuccessful. After several years of discussions, the government opted for culling. So far, plans have been approved to euthanize up to 80 hippos, but it has not been announced when the hunt will start.