La Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) has disarticulated in Nules (Castellón) a private facility that operated illegally as a zoo, where they kept more than 150 animals belonging to 56 species, several with international protection classification.
For these facts two men aged 30 and 35 have been investigated by crimes against wildlife, trafficking of protected species and smuggling, following an action that was developed from the trail left in Internet.
How the case was uncovered
The investigation began when agents detected an advertisement on the network that offered CITES-listed specimens for sale. That advertisement listed Asian otters, agoutis and kinkajous, in addition to offspring of meerkats, kangaroos and caracals.
In the follow-up they met videos of the alleged breeder surrounded by exotic fauna, with images of leopards, owls, llamas and ibis, which reinforced suspicions of illegal trade in species.
Registrations and lack of permits
After identifying a first suspect in the province of Valencia, investigators located a plot in Nules with matching cages with those in the advertisement. At that point it was linked to a second person with the ownership and marketing of animals.
The records in several plots and warehouses They confirmed that There were no breeder permits ni zoological core authorization, and that the specimens were not listed in official records, which supports clandestine activity.
Intervened species and degree of protection
In total they were found more than 150 specimens of 56 species from the five continents. Among those included in the CITES Annex I —maximum level of protection— consist two cata lemurs, two Asian otters y a Bali starling.
- Zebra y two servals
- Two toucans y two crowned cranes
- Six turacos y four ibises
- Two meerkats y three mongooses
- an opossum y two American mouflons
- Five owls y a dromedary
- Three macaws y five kinkajous
- Two porcupines, among others
Furthermore, two of the three macaws recovered were listed as stolen and had been reported stolen in a town in Almeria, according to the checks carried out by the agents.
Economic valuation and crimes charged
Provisional reports place the assessment of damage to wildlife for this collection in a figure that exceeds two million euros. As a guide, a average market value Close to 70.000 euros per copy, according to available estimates.
For these facts, the following are being investigated: two males aged 30 and 35 for his alleged involvement in trafficking of protected species, smuggling and other illegal wildlife activities, pending the appropriate proceedings.
Actions of the Seprona and judicial proceedings
The operation has been developed by specialists from the Seprona, with the collaboration of staff from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, who was in charge of the identification and cataloging of the seized specimens.
errands have been referred to the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2 of Nules, the body that directs the following procedural steps of the case.
Provisional destination of animals and lines of research
Provisionally, the animals remain guarded while coordinating transfers to zoos and rescue centers enabled. The procedures even include agreements with other European countries if necessary.
Sources of the investigation indicate that the investigation is underway origin of the specimens, with the hypothesis of networks and providers of Central and Eastern Europe, in addition to verifying the range of administrative and criminal responsibilities of those involved.
The operation in Nules exposes a network of possession and possible trade of protected exotic fauna with important environmental and legal repercussions; an intervention in which the work of the Seprona and CITES specialists have been key to ensuring the well-being of the animals and activating the corresponding judicial route.
