The hippos are descended from animals introduced to the country in the 1980s by Pablo Escobar, one of Colombia’s top drug lords, who sought to have one of the largest private zoos in Latin America with a wide variety of animals.CNN reported.
Since then, their population has exploded to around 160 individuals and their presence is now endangering native species. A few weeks ago, Colombia said it planned to cull 80 of these animals, sparking debate.
Ambani asked the Colombian government to reconsider the decision, proposing to house them at his rescue center.
“These 80 hippos did not choose where to be born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face,” he said in a social media post. These animals “are living, sentient beings, and if we have the capacity to save them through a safe and humane solution, we have the responsibility to try.”
In the city of Jamnagar, in the state of Gujarat, Ambani founded the conservation center Vantara, which houses more than 150,000 animals from over 2,000 wildlife species, according to its official website.
