Profepa authorities have secured 22 corpses of exotic species at AICM

Following a call from a parcel company operating at Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the staff of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) obtained 22 wildlife by-products which were intended to be sent to the United States.

Products of animal species, intended for the city of San Antonio, Texas, were detected during an x-ray examination and correspond to different species, including: gray fox, tarantula, bat, turtle, rattlesnake, owl, owl, grille, cardinal and hawk.

When no documents were found proving their legal origin, Profepa staff secured them as a precaution, remaining in the custody of this authority to grant the corresponding destination. According to Profepa, the fine could be as high as approximately $ 6,721,500.00.

The Tecolote Enano (Micrathene whitneyi) and the Gavilan (Accipiter sp.) are endemic to Mexico and are listed in the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, while the American owl (Búho virginianus) is included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES (for its acronym in English).

According to article 127, section III of the general law on wildlife, the fine could range from 200 to 75,000 units of measurement and update, the equivalent of which is 17,924 pesos to 6,721,500 dollars for the carrying out exploitation activities involving the killing of specimens of wild animals.

Anyone who carries out an activity for the purpose of trafficking, capturing, possessing, transporting, collecting, bringing into the country or extracting therefrom any specimen in danger of extinction, subject to special protection or regulated by an international treaty to which Mexico is a party, In accordance with section IV of Article 420 of the Penal Code, he may be entitled to prison terms ranging from one to nine years and fines equivalent to the equivalent of three hundred ($ 26,886) to three thousand days. fine ($ 268,862).

Last February, Profepa reported that 39 crocodiles (Spectacled Cayman species) what were they illegally transported in a polystyrene cooler were rescued by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in Chiapas.

The seizure of the reptiles was carried out after a citizen complaint who alerted the Federal Ministerial Police (GFP) of the municipality of Villaflores, of the transfer of several crocodiles in a taxi stand where they were transported.

In view of what happened, the GRF opened an investigation file for the crime against biodiversity, by the Office of the Deputy Prosecutor for Regional Control, Criminal Procedures and Amparo (SCRPPA).

In the said document, the authorities stated that the elements of the PFM, attached to the sub-headquarters of the municipality of Villaflores, had received a citizen complaint alerting them to the transport of crocodiles and that the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) had carried out the integration. of the research file

Authorities have reported that the animals are about a length of 30 centimeters, 4 to 5 months old and weighing between 80 and 150 grams.

According to Profepa, Spectacled Cayman species (Caiman crocodilus), is listed in the category of subjects with special protection.

The National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), indicates that The main threat to crocodiles is indiscriminate hunting due to their skin, pollution and loss of habitat.

Between the most trafficked species in Mexico are the macaws, parrots, toucans, orchids, cacti, monkeys, ocelots, tarantulas and reptiles.

According to the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), illegal animal trafficking has a direct and irreversible impact on biodiversity, causing a significant decline in the population of species with high commercial value.

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