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Colombia Activated New Control Plan for Invasive Hippos

Hippopotamus in water at Hacienda Nápoles, Colombia
Conservation · Management

Colombia has activated a nationwide control plan for the introduced common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development announced the programme on 13 April 2026, describing it as an integrated response to the population’s continued growth and geographical spread.

The Colombian population descends from four animals introduced illegally during the 1980s. According to the ministry, more than 200 hippos now live in the country. Without control measures, government projections indicate that the population could reach about 500 animals by 2030 and nearly 1,000 by 2035.

Colombia classified the species as invasive in 2022. The ministry says the animals affect water quality and native species including manatees and river turtles, while their expansion also creates risks for local communities.

Translocation and euthanasia protocols

The programme has been allocated 7.2 billion Colombian pesos for its first phase. The ministry noted that technical recommendations made in 2022 had called for at least 33 animals per year to be removed from the ecosystems, leaving a substantial backlog. With the new funding, it said the programme would seek to address at least half of the hippos then estimated to be living in the ecosystems. This was a management target, not a number already removed. Four regional environmental authorities will carry out measures intended to reduce the population and limit its distribution, initially focusing on animals in areas described as particularly difficult to manage.

The new framework combines several approaches. Translocation remains an option, but the ministry says proposed transfers have repeatedly encountered legal, technical and financial barriers. It also points to the population’s low genetic diversity and deformities associated with inbreeding, a consequence of its origin from just four introduced founders. The plan therefore also introduces a technical euthanasia protocol for situations in which translocation is not feasible. The protocol covers chemical and physical methods and includes requirements for animal welfare, biosecurity, traceability and protection of water resources.

Confinement and sterilisation have also been assessed. The ministry notes that this approach would require substantial infrastructure, sterilisation of every confined animal and long-term care because the population has no natural predators in Colombia.

Implementation during the second half of 2026

Agreements with the regional authorities were scheduled for 15 June, followed by implementation during the second half of 2026. Each authority must conduct continuous biological monitoring and submit monthly progress reports.

Every intervention must also be documented within ten days. Reports must include the animal’s sex and estimated age, exact coordinates, the methods used and photographic records. The stated goal is to slow population growth, contain further expansion and reduce risks to biodiversity and nearby communities.

Sources and image credit

  1. Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. (2026, April 13). Gobierno activa plan de choque para frenar expansión y crecimiento poblacional de hipopótamos. https://www.minambiente.gov.co/gobierno-activa-plan-de-choque-integral-para-frenar-expansion-y-crecimiento-poblacion-de-hipopotamos-en-colombia/Primary government announcement published 13 April 2026, documenting the funded national control plan, population estimates, management methods, implementation schedule and reporting requirements.

Image: Alvaro Morales Ríos / Wikimedia Commons — hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) at Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles in Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia, Colombia, 16 October 2011. Illustrative photograph from the origin area of Colombia’s introduced population; not necessarily a free-ranging individual covered by the 2026 control plan. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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