BOGOTA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development on Monday launched a plan to cull the country's hippopotamus population for the first time in 40 years.

The government has earmarked some 7.2 billion Colombian pesos (about 2 million U.S. dollars) to carry out the plan starting in the second half of 2026, Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Irene Velez told a press conference in Bogota.

Officials aim to reduce the population of hippos, currently estimated at 200, by at least half, and to manage herd growth in areas conducive to reproduction, she added.

"Today, we are issuing a euthanasia protocol so that environmental authorities, who are directly responsible for carrying out these actions, can do so in collaboration with institutes that support the view that this is a necessary measure to reduce the population," Velez said.

According to the ministry, hippos, first introduced in the 1980s by Colombian drug chief Pablo Escobar Gaviria, were officially declared an invasive alien species in 2022 due to their negative impacts on ecosystems, including deterioration of water quality and harm to native species.

Without euthanasia, "it would be impossible to control the population," which could reach at least 500 by 2030, said Velez. ■