Cancun, Q.R. — Two people were arrested over the weekend in response to neighbor reports of dead animals hanging in a back yard. Authorities from the city of Cancun arrived at the private home in Villas Otoch where they found eight dead agoutis hanging from a clothesline.
The incident was reported at a house in SM 247 where those who lived in the home claimed the agoutis were for consumption.
Central American Agoutis are a medium-sized, ground-dwelling rodent native to the area. Authorities did not say exactly how the eight wild animals were captured.
Neighbors who saw the animals hanging on the line reported the killings of dogs to city officials, however, authorities responding to the report confirmed the dead animals were not dogs, but aguotis.
Municipal Police and personnel from the Municipal Directorate of Animal Welfare were at the scene on Eucalipto Street and Rio Hondo Avenue where they located the animals still on the clothesline.
Municipal Police proceeded to arrest both adults from inside the house. The detainees stated they captured the animals in a green area near the Arco Norte highway where they are commonly seen due to the vegetation.
Authorities are continuing to determine if any crime against wildlife has been committed.
