A famous elephant that once belonged to the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar and lived on his estate has died of old age.

Rania was rescued from a circus and spent the last 15 years at Hacienda Napoles, the estate once owned by Escobar in Colombia's Antioquia Department.

Hacienda Napoles, which has become a popular tourist attraction since Escobar died in 1993 during a shootout with police, announced that Rania passed away of natural causes on Monday, March 24.

The tourist attraction said: 'Rania had been experiencing some health problems associated with age and was gradually becoming debilitated near the mud lake she had enjoyed for several years.

'Since the early morning, around 3 am, when the situation was noticed, park staff tried to revive Rania, but these efforts were unsuccessful, and the elephant died around noon today.'

They added: 'This is a huge loss for our park, which protected this animal for more than fifteen years after it was rescued from a circus, where it arrived with health problems that we have kept under control to this day.'

Rania was one of the most beloved animals at the park and lived to be 70 years old, the average life expectancy for elephants.

The park said her final years were spent in the best possible care. It added: 'We have the peace of mind of having provided her with a good life and care over these years, the same care we will continue to provide for Zimbabwe, our other elephant, who must feel a deeper sadness than ours.'

Escobar, the notorious drug kingpin, was also famous for four hippos that he imported and kept in a private menagerie.

They have since multiplied, and efforts are underway to relocate some of them and euthanise others, amid warnings from experts that their uncontrolled reproduction poses a threat to other species in the region.