Indian billionaire heir Anant Ambani has offered to relocate 80 “cocaine hippos” from Colombia to his wildlife sanctuary, as authorities move to cull the animals. The hippos descend from a small group imported in the 1980s by drug lord Pablo Escobar for his private zoo. Their population has since surged to about 160, threatening local ecosystems. Earlier this month, Colombia approved a plan to kill 80 of the hippos, warning their numbers could reach 500 by 2030, endangering native species in the region. Ambani’s Vantara conservation center in Gujarat has offered to provide lifelong care in a habitat designed to mirror their current environment. “These 80 hippos did not choose where to be born, nor did they create the circumstances they now face,” Ambani said. 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.” Authorities have yet to respond publicly to Ambani’s offer. “In animals I see God, and Vantara is a temple,” Ambani said.
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