Colombia Ministry of Environment plans new strategy for hippopotamus control

Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development has initiated institutional meetings to structure a contingency plan regarding the hippopotamus population in the Magdalena Medio region. Minister Fabio Arjona stated the goal is to unify technical criteria to protect water sources, safeguard endemic fauna, and reduce risks to local communities.

The initiative involves collaboration with the Humboldt Institute and regional environmental authorities, including Cornare, Corantioquia, and CAS. Arjona emphasized that the resulting action plan will be “backed by all available science” to mitigate the impact on native populations and decrease the danger posed to residents.

Academic researchers have noted that a technical management plan was already approved in mid-2024. That existing framework includes five operational axes: control hunting and confinement, territorial translocation with social support, early warning systems, and euthanasia protocols approved in April 2026, following the rejection of international translocation options to India, Mexico, and the Philippines.