A Colombian court has ordered the hunting of Pablo Escobar’s invasive hippos, following decades of unsuccessful attempts to control their unrestrained proliferation.

Introduced in the 1980s by the infamous drug lord, who brought them to his private zoo, these hippos now pose a serious threat to Colombia's ecological balance. After Escobar's ranch was ransacked in 1993 following his death, the hippos escaped into the surrounding forest and began to reproduce exponentially. In the latest twist, the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca on September 6 gave the Ministry of Environment three months to “establish regulations aimed at eradicating the species.”

Initially, the animals, native to Africa, became popular within the local community near Escobar's former estate and even turned into a tourist attraction. However, their uncontrolled growth is now worrying experts, particularly due to the potential dangers they pose. 

Although hippos are responsible for hundreds of human deaths annually in Africa, Colombia has yet to face fatalities, though incidents involving fishermen have been reported.

“Another reason that people are concerned is just because they produce an awful lot of excrement. They can really pollute water resources. They’re an invasive species. They don’t really belong there. So the local species that are there, like the capybaras, the tortoises, other animals, it’s rapidly changing the biome and possibly threatening these other animals,” Joshua Hammer, a journalist who thoroughly studied the case, told Smithsonian Magazine.

Despite these challenges, animal rights activists and locals oppose the idea of hunting. A previous government attempt to cull the population in 2009 led to public protests, which eventually resulted in a ban on hippo hunting in 2012. 

Likewise, recent efforts to sterilise and relocate the animals to other countries have progressed slowly and remain largely ineffective, prompting environmentalists to step up calls for action.

As Colombia grapples with this weighty problem, one thing's for sure: Pablo Escobar's larger-than-life legacy continues to make waves – or in this case, ripples – long after his demise.