Photos show hippos introduced to Colombia by Pablo Escobar as the nation debates their fate
Hippos wallow at a lagoon in the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In Colombia, hippos introduced by Pablo Escobar in the 1980s have become a major issue as the population has grown to around 200, causing safety concerns for locals and tourists.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
A stack of three hippo statues stands at Hacienda Nápoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A stack of three hippo statues stands at Hacienda Nápoles Park, once the private estate of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A plaque made from a dollar bill bearing the face of the late drug trafficker Pablo Escobar is displayed alongside photographs of wildlife at a souvenir store in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A plaque made from a dollar bill bearing the face of the late drug trafficker Pablo Escobar is displayed alongside photographs of wildlife at a souvenir store in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Hippos wallow at a lagoon at the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Hippos wallow at a lagoon at the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Tourists pose for a selfie near a hippo statue at Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026.(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Tourists pose for a selfie near a hippo statue at Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026.(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Hippos wallow at a lagoon at the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Hippos wallow at a lagoon at the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A hippo opens its mouth while wallowing in a lagoon in the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A hippo opens its mouth while wallowing in a lagoon in the Hacienda Napoles Park, once the private estate of the late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Fisherman Alvaro Molina, who lives along the banks of the Magdalena River and says he regularly encounters hippos descended from animals once kept by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, sits in his boat in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Fisherman Alvaro Molina, who lives along the banks of the Magdalena River and says he regularly encounters hippos descended from animals once kept by drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, sits in his boat in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A boat travels near the Island of Silence along the Magdalena River, where hippos descended from animals introduced by the late drug trafficker Pablo Escobar have found refuge and multiplied, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A boat travels near the Island of Silence along the Magdalena River, where hippos descended from animals introduced by the late drug trafficker Pablo Escobar have found refuge and multiplied, in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
