Anant Ambani, billionaire heir of Indian origin, would have offered the Government of Colombia transfer 80 hippos to a rescue center linked to drug trafficker Pablo Escobarwho were going to be subjected to euthanasia after authorization from Bogotá.
Through a statement published this April 28, the magnate states that he offers to take these animals to a conservation center, noting that “they did not choose where to be born”.
“These eighty hippos did not choose where they were born or create the circumstances they now face. They are living, sentient beings, and If we have the possibility of saving them through a safe and humane solution, we have the responsibility to try.“Ambani said.
In relation to the conservation center to which Ambani refers, it is a wildlife rescue area located in western India, in the state of Gujarat, where primates, big cats, elephants and other animals are housed.
Anant Ambani is the youngest son of Asia’s richest man and director of the Reliance Industries business empire.
Ambani’s offer to transport these 80 hippos comes after the Government of Colombia authorized the sacrifice of the animals on the grounds of stopping their reproduction. since, if control measures are not applied, the population could rise to one thousand in 2035.
Furthermore, according to statements by the Minister of the Environment of Colombia, Irene Vélez, No country agreed to receive the hippos.
Therefore, Ambani indicated in his statement that It is possible to care for hippos and the ecosystems where they live.
“Compassion and public safety are not opposing forces. With sound science and careful planning, it is possible to protect riverine communities, preserve ecosystems and save animal life. Vantara has the experience, the infrastructure and determination necessary to support this effort, on the terms that Colombia demands“said the billionaire.
It was in the eighties when drug trafficker Pablo Escobar introduced four specimens of hippos into central Colombia. Currently, the Government of Colombia is analyzing what to do with almost 200 wild hippos found on the banks of the Magdalena River.