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Indian tycoon Ambani offers to rescue Escobar's 'cocaine hippos', bring them to India

"These 80 hippos did not choose where they were born and are not to blame for their current circumstances," Anant Ambani noted

NEW DELHI, April 28. /TASS/. Anant Ambani, CEO of the Indian company Reliance Industries Limited, has offered to save 80 hippos slated for culling in Colombia, according to his letter sent to Colombian Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Irene Velez Torres.

Ambani asked the Colombian authorities to postpone culling the hippos and offered to relocate them to a permanent home in the Indian state of Gujarat. "These 80 hippos did not choose where they were born and are not to blame for their current circumstances," the tycoon noted. "They are living, sentient beings, and if we have the opportunity to save them in a safe and humane way, then we have a duty to try to do so," he added.

Vantara, a company founded by Ambani, has offered the Colombian authorities a comprehensive solution that includes veterinary care, capture and transport, biosafety protocols, a specially designed natural habitat in Gujarat that mimics the key features of the hippopotamuses’ current habitat, as well as lifelong care for all 80 animals.

"Compassion and public safety are not mutually exclusive. With sound scientific data and careful planning, we can protect coastal communities, preserve ecosystems, and save animals. Vantara has the experience, infrastructure, and determination to support these efforts," Ambani pointed out, assuring that he is ready to comply with any conditions set by the Colombian side.

The first four "cocaine hippos" appeared on drug lord Pablo Escobar’s private ranch in the Magdalena River Valley in the late 1980s. After Escobar's death in 1993, however, the ranch was abandoned and the hippos scattered throughout the area. As a result, their population has grown rapidly and is now estimated at approximately 170 animals.

Initially, the authorities considered transporting the hippos back to Africa, but this proved too expensive at about $3.5 million per animal. Attempts were also made to sterilize the animals and transfer them to various zoos, but these measures were unsuccessful. After several years of discussion, a decision was made to begin culling them. Right now, the 80 hippos are set for culling.

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