

Conservationists and wildlife protection agencies are blaming the economic fallout of the pandemic on skyrocketing numbers of illegal wildlife trade cases in Mexico.
Between 2019 and 2020, there has been a reported 660% increase in the number of animals seized by by Mexico’s environmental protection agency PROFEPA [Procuraduria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente].
In November a multi-agency raid of two properties in Mexico City’s district of Iztapalapa led to the seizure of more than 15,000 animals, two thirds of which held protected status. They included turtles, crocodiles, toucans, parrots and Gila monsters, all housed in overcrowded conditions as they awaited unknown onward journeys.
Mexico’s capital has long been regarded as a key hub for the illegal trafficking of wildlife, but such enormous seizures reflect a large increase in the trade since the outbreak of Covid-19.
The country’s border with the US – often in the headlines for stories about people smuggling – has now become a hot zone for wildlife smuggling.

Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade
We are working with conservation charities Space for Giants and Freeland to protect wildlife at risk from poachers due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19. Help is desperately needed to support wildlife rangers, local communities and law enforcement personnel to prevent wildlife crime. Donate to help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade HERE
Local newspaper Excelsior recently reported that Mexico City was seeing both greater levels of wildlife trafficking through the city and retail of rare wildlife within the city.
Amid rising unemployment, experts believe some people may be turning to this kind of criminal activity to survive.
Fernando Contreras Moreno is a Field Officer for WWF Mexico, he tells The Independent that “low effectiveness of law enforcement, coupled with a high level of corruption, have led Mexico to become a hub for wildlife trafficking.
“Local police do not have adequate training to know when an activity is illegal or not [and] they have a high level of corruption, so when they detect something, the suspect could go free [thanks] to the famous ‘mordida’ [bribe] culture.”
Mexico is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, home to an estimated 12 percent of the species on the planet.
Yet those populations are under increased threat, due to trafficking and habitat loss. According to the Living Planet Report, Latin America’s animal populations have fallen by 83% since the 1970s.
In Mexico, the most frequently trafficked animals include ornamental birds, mainly those of the Psittacidae family, monkeys, freshwater turtles and parts of jaguars, especially the fangs and skin.
Ernesto Zazueta is President of the Zoos, Breeders, and Aquariums association [Azcarm]. He said “In 2019, PROFEPA confiscated [about] 5,000 protected species, in 2020 the number was almost 33,000,” said Zazueta, adding that a lack of funding is compounding the problem. PROFEPA’s 2020 budget was reportedly only 75% of what it was in 2018.
“The way I see it, trafficking has also increased because much of PROFEPA’s budget has been taken away. They have very few inspectors and can’t be searching for traffickers, and the traffickers know that.”
Zazueta cites the case of one man was caught carrying several boxes containing exotic animals – including African pygmy hedgehogs and chinchillas – in broad daylight at a subway station in Mexico City.
PROFEPA stated in September that it was searching for a woman seen walking a Bengal tiger cub through a bustling shopping centre in the capital.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE ON YAHOO NEWS
Comments
more recommended stories
Xcaret postpones the 14th edition of the Sacred Maya Journey
The return of the traditional Sacred.
A woman is crushed to death when a tree falls on top of her car on the Mérida-Valladolid highway
A strange accident happened on Thursday,.
With these local flowers, you help prevent the loss of bees in Yucatan
Every May 20, World Bee Day.
US government officials talk about UFOs publicly for the first time in 50 years
Two senior U.S. defense intelligence officials.
The US Embassy to invest 30 million USD in the “South of Mexico Generating Employment and Sustainability” program
In alliance with seven governments from.
Face-to-face courses return to La Ibérica de Mérida; they will celebrate a big event on Sunday
On Sunday, May 22, the Centro.
Construction worker arrested for sexual abuse against a maid inside a hotel in Tulum, Quintana Roo
The municipal police of Tulum, in.
Yucatan is about to receive the first cloud of dust from the Sahara desert in 2022
A cloud of dust from the.
Yucatecans seek to sell one ton of Cochinita Pibil and 6 thousand panuchos in Mexico City
With the “Yucatán Expone” program, Yucatecan.
Mérida Municipal Police officer returns wallet to owner with more than 5 thousand pesos
The Mérida Municipal Police agent Roberto.
Leave a Comment