Published: TUESDAY November 25, 2025: 'Cocaine Hippos' Drug Lords Lasting Legacy Photography and Story by ZUMA Press photographer Zoraida Diaz: In the late 70's, the drug baron smuggled 4 of the huge creatures into South America for his private estate. And they have been multiplying ever since. Escobar's hippos were never intended to represent anything beyond his wealth and ambition. Yet after his death in 1993, and the abandonment of Hacienda Napoles estate, these four animals survived. They escaped or were released into the wild, finding the Magdalena River and its tributaries to be an ideal habitat. With year-round fresh water, abundant grazing lands, and critically, an absence of natural predators, the hippo population exploded exponentially. Environmental officials advocate for translocation of hippos to facilities with proper resources, while some locals, particularly those profiting from tourism, argue against eradication. Now officials are taking drastic action to tackle the problem. Welcome to 'Cocaine Hippos' Drug Lords Lasting Legacy
© zReportage.com Issue #1015 Story of the Week: Published: TUESDAY November 25, 2025: 'Cocaine Hippos' Drug Lords Lasting Legacy Photography and Story by ZUMA Press photographer Zoraida Diaz: In the late 70's, the drug baron smuggled 4 of the huge creatures into South America for his private estate. And they have been multiplying ever since. Escobar's hippos were never intended to represent anything beyond his wealth and ambition. Yet after his death in 1993, and the abandonment of Hacienda Napoles estate, these four animals survived. They escaped or were released into the wild, finding the Magdalena River and its tributaries to be an ideal habitat. With year-round fresh water, abundant grazing lands, and critically, an absence of natural predators, the hippo population exploded exponentially. Environmental officials advocate for translocation of hippos to facilities with proper resources, while some locals, particularly those profiting from tourism, argue against eradication. Now officials are taking drastic action to tackle the problem. Welcome to 'Cocaine Hippos' Drug Lords Lasting Legacy

LUIS DIAZ FLOREZ was attacked by a hippopotamus in 2020, while working at a farm. In a coma for 20 days he suffered severe injuries, including broken ribs, a broken leg, and a punctured lung. The hippos bite is the strongest of all mammals, generating 1,821 (PSI) pounds per square inch. For comparison, a Rottweilers bite is 328 PSI. Diaz can no longer work and is adamant the animals be controlled: ''I died and was reborn. These animals are the problem Escobar left us. Either they are kept in corrals or they are extradited. There's no other way.' Diaz's attack is the most severe to date.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A hippo yawns in a lake near the Balsora rural educational center inside the Hacienda Napoles Park. Hippos are territorial and highly aggressive, and have been declared an ''invasive species'' in Colombia. There are now 200 living wild in the Magdalena River basin, including 80 within the park all descendants of Escobars original 4 hippos brought from Africa.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

FRANKI ZAPATA, 37, a fisherman from Puerto Nare, maneuvers his boat to check on this fishing lines near Isla del Silencio where up to 10 hippos have been sighted. He wants the Ministry of the Environment to deal with the hippos: 'since we fishermen have to live with the hippos practically every night, it's better for us that they're taken away. To avoid running into them, I have to fish, say, two kilometers downstream or up-stream, where they don't go.''
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A replica of the Piper PA-18 Super Cub that was once mounted over the entrance to Pablo Escobars 5000 acre property, is installed at the entrance to the Memorial Museum within the Hacienda Napoles Theme Park. The plane is said to be a replica of the aircraft used by Escobars Medellin cartel to smuggle its first cocaine shipment into the United States.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Biologist SOFIA FERNANDEZ AFRICANO, of the environmental agency CORNARE, monitors a herd of hippopotamuses in a lagoon on Pablo Escobar's former property, Hacienda Napoles. CORNARE monitors more than 80 animals on the drug lord's estate, which extends over 5000 acres. Despite efforts to sterilize, relocate and cull, the 'invasive species' is projected by some models to reach 1,500 by 2039.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

'PIPO'' a young hippopotamus that reached the Hotel Villa Sara's lagoon in 2023, faces off with ESTRELLA, one of the dogs on the property. The beloved hippo died in December 4, 2024 from a botched sterilization attempt. Veterinarians drew him out of the lagoon and shot him with tranquilizer darts. The animal panicked returning to the water, where he drowned as the anesthesia took effect. The owners of the property strongly protested before the environmental entity CORNARE, claiming that the animal was docile and the procedure inappropriate.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Biologist SOFIA FERNANDEZ AFRICANO, of the environmental agency CORNARE Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Negro and Nare River Basins), follows tracks of a herd of hippos near a lagoon on Pablo Escobar's former property, Hacienda Napoles. CORNARE monitors more than 80 animals on the drug lords estate, which extends over 5000 acres. Despite efforts to sterilize, relocate and cull, the ''invasive species'' is projected by some models to reach 1,500 by 2039.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Pablo Escobar's mug shot, and of a grandmother grieving over the death of one of his victims, these images hang on the walls of the Memorial Museum at the Hacienda Napoles theme park. The exhibit chronicles Escobars criminal career while honoring the memory of his victims. Escobar, once the owner of the 5000-acre Hacienda Napoles, collected over a thousand animals, including four hippopotamuses in the early 80's. Confiscated by the government after Escobar's death the animals were abandoned or relocated to zoos around the country. Only the hippos survived and thrived.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Statues of playful hippos, one on top of the other, welcome visitors to the Hacienda Napoles Theme Park. Doradal, the town whose future is linked to tourism and the development of the park, has adopted the hippo as a symbol of the region. The hippopotamus has been declared an ''invasive species'' as Pablo Escobar's original four hippos have grown into approximately 200 throughout the Magdalena River Basin over the past four decades.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

The Hacienda Napoles theme parks Memorial Museum displays photographs of several of the victims of Pablo Escobars terrorist attacks. Among the police and officers murdered are photos of CLARA INES GALARZA REINA, JAIME ALEJANDRO VANEGAS, NORMA OGLIASTRI DE TRIANA, AND ALVARO ORTIZ LEGARDA, some of the 107 passengers on board Avianca Flight 203, which exploded in mid-air minutes after takeoff in 1989.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

ISABEL ROMERO GEREZ, 64, the founder of the Turtle Conservation and Protection Center at Estacion Cocorna, sits outside her home. Gerez, known as 'Dona Chava', is convinced that all species are worth protecting and states 'Many of the 1,700 inhabitants of the town of Estacion Cocorna depend on the rivers resources: Birdwatching, turtle releases, hippo watching, waterfalls, jet streams, boat rides, campfires, we can offer all of this to our visitors.'
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A handler at the Hacienda Napoles Theme Park feeds the hippopotamus 'Paco' some herbs to entice him to return to the viewing pen. Paco, a 20 year-old male hippo was sterilized and brought to the parks hippo enclosures after it was expelled from its herd. Paco is a descendant of the original four hippos brought to the region by Pablo Escobar in the 80s.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A young man poses with a gun near the effigy of drug lord Pablo Escobar riding a motorcycle under his famed Piper aircraft in a local restaurant. The infamy of Escobar draws tourists from all over the world, and the region's economy revolves around the Hacienda Napoles Theme Park, and the monetization of Escobar's legacy, including a growing population of hippos.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

One of the many businesses in Doradal that attracts visitors interested in revisiting the history of the notorious Pablo Escobar. The establishment's name, 'Tranquilandia,' refers to a jungle area between Caqueta and Meta that once had 19 cocaine processing laboratories and eight landing strips. In 1984, police destroyed the complex in the first major blow to the Medellin Cartel.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Veterinarian technician BRYAN HERNANDEZ of the environmental agency CORNARE (Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Negro and Nare River Basins), monitors a herd of hippos in early morning at a lagoon across from the medium-security prison ''El Pesebre.'' CORNARE has counted about 80 hippos on the grounds of the former Hacienda Napoles, and over 100 more that have reached the waterways of the Magdalena River.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

The 'El Navegante 3' ferry connects Puerto Boyaca on the eastern bank of the Magdalena River and Puerto Perales. There are some 200 wild hippos in the Magdalena River basin that are thriving, with fresh water year-round and a lack of predators to control the growing population. The hippos have been declared an ''invasive species'' and the many risks they represent include possible attacks on the riverside inhabitants of the region, who mostly derive their livelihood from fishing and dredging sand from the river.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Fisherman FRANKI ZAPATA, 36, checks the lines of a 'palangre' an artesanal longline fishing method. Frankie and other fishermen hang the lines from stakes of cana brava, or wild cane, with the hippos often destroying the lines. Fishermen see an increasing number of hippos invading their fishing grounds, with a few dangerous close encounters. They want authorities to secure their livelihood by culling or relocating the hippos.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

At the crafts store ''La Tienda de Pablo,'' a mannequin of the drug lord sits at a table with a wad of bills. Pablo Escobars barbarity has been widely documented, but here in Doradal, the bizarre nature of his misdeeds has become myth: Escobar personifies the audacity of those who operate outside the law. The owner of the store, Albeiro Villegas, says that since he opened the store in 2013, many famous people have passed through there looking for a selfie with the legend.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A local fisherman maneuvers his canoe on the Claro Cocorna Sur River near the shore of Isla del Silencio, illuminating the water with the rapid movements of his flashlight, always on the alert, on the lookout for hippos. The animals have reached the Magdalena River and have been seen as far North as Puerto Berrio some 60 miles from the island.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A herd of hippos bathe in a lake near the Balsora rural educational center inside the Hacienda Napoles Park. Hippos are territorial and highly aggressive, and have been declared an ''invasive species'' in Colombia. There are some 200 hippos in the Magdalena River basin, including 80 within the park, that are thriving, with fresh water year-round and a lack of predators to control the growing population.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

View of the Magdalena River as it reaches the Magdalena Medio region in the city of Honda. The River is the Colombia's main river, flowing northward almost a thousand miles, with a drainage basin covering over some 25 percent of the country, and where 66 percent of the population lives. The African hippopotamus, declared an 'invasive species' has reached the great river, threatening the riverside populations and increasingly upending the ecological balance of the region.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Biologist SOFIA FERNANDEZ AFRICANO, of the environmental agency CORNARE, demonstrates how a ''hippo gate'' functions. Local farmers improvised gates along known hippo trails to prevent hippopotamuses from destroying barbed wire fences on properties that were parceled from Pablo Escobar's former property, Hacienda Napoles. CORNARE monitors more than 80 animals on the estate, which once extended over 5000 acres.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A fisherman readies his gear along the banks of the Magdalena River Puerto Berrio. The African hippopotamus, declared an 'invasive species' has been sighted as far as Puerto Berrio, some 70 miles from Hacienda Napoles, threatening the riverside populations and increasingly upending the ecological balance of the region.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

The CORNARE (Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Negro and Nare River Basins) team gets ready to sterilize a female hippo weighing approximately 550 kg. Veterinarian JULIANA JARAMILLO CARDENAS prepares the darts containing the sedative Midazolam and catheters for administering the medication. The surgeries are performed at night under the dim light of field lanterns and take 5-7 hours. Since 2011, 26 surgeries have been performed near Hacienda.Napoles.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

A quiet lagoon on the way to the medium-security prison 'El Pesebre' where a herd of hippos is monitored by the environmental agency CORNARE. There are about 80 hippos on the grounds of Pablo Escobar's former property, Hacienda Napoles.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Vet technician BRYAN HERNANDEZ readies for the hippo sterilizations surgeries with the aid of his phones flashlight. The preparations and surgeries are performed at night under harsh conditions; field lanterns are used, and the surgery takes 5-7 hours. In the last two years, 25 surgeries have been performed near Hacienda Napoles.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

Doradal, the town whose future is linked to tourism and the Hacienda Napoles theme park, has adopted the hippopotamus as a symbol of the region. The mural on the wall of a rural school depicts an idyllic landscape with a family of hippos peacefully bathing in the river. The hippos, a surreal legacy of the drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, have been declared ''invasive species'' threatening the ecological balance of the Magdalena River and the region's inhabitants.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

An adult female hippopotamus propels herself down the river, chasing after the boat the photographer is on. Hippos cannot float or swim, but they gallop along the river bed reaching speeds up to 8 km/h in the water. Hippos are territorial and highly aggressive, and have been declared an ''invasive species'' in Colombia. There are some 200 hippos in the wild in the Magdalena River basin that are thriving, with fresh water year-round and a lack of predators to control the growing population.
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire

ALVARO DIAZ ROMERO, 42, takes tourists on wildlife-watching tours, and is a staunch protector of the hippos: Alvaro states 'Napoles is close to the Claro River canyon, and two hippos arrived in this area about 9 years ago; now there are 7 or 9. In Colombia, hippos are no longer African; they are Colombian; they have distinct characteristics and they will be eradicated if they continue to be sterilized.'
© Zoraida Diaz/ZUMA Press Wire