Colombian government to declare hippos an invasive species

A hippo swims in the Magdalena river in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia (AP)

The Colombian government is planning to declare that a herd of hippopotamuses descended from animals imported illegally by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s are an exotic invasive species.

People from the town of Puerto Triunfo have grown accustomed to living near the herd, and many are opposed to any measures to control the population.