Colombia is proposing to capture and transport up to 70 hippopotamuses, descended from four illegally imported "cocaine hippos" from Africa by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, to India and Mexico as part of a plan to control their population.

The hippos, which are territorial and weigh up to three tons, are thought to have multiplied to 150 strong at the Hacienda Napoles ranch in Antioquia province since the kingpin was killed by police in 1993. In absence of any natural predators, the hippos have spread far and wide, potentially reaching up to 400 in eight years, and are a potential problem for biodiversity due to the effect their feces have on local rivers.

Last year, Colombia declared the hippos an invasive, toxic species and proposed a plan to lure them with food into large iron containers and transfer them by