Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Five people were arrested and a building of exotic animals seized by the state during a rescue operation yesterday. On Friday, authorities moved in to remove employees and shut down an exotic animal tourist show.
More than a dozen animals that were being kept caged inside the building for tourist photo opportunities were removed during a raid. The raid, which involved local police and environmental specialists, took place on fifth Avenue late Friday morning on a search warrant.
Hours later, the State Attorney General (FGE) confirmed the arrest of five men, the rescue of 16 wild animals and seizure of the Fifth Avenue facility.
“During a raid on a Fifth Avenue location, authorities rescued 16 animals, including endangered species, that were being used for photographs under unsuitable conditions,” the FGE said.
Five people, related to these events, were arrested from inside the building during the Friday morning operation. The FGE (Fiscalía General del Estado) of Quintana Roo said they obtained a search warrant for acts possibly constituting the crime of animal cruelty.
The search was executed by personnel of the FGE in coordination with the Municipal Police, in a commercial premises located on Fifth Avenue of Playa del Carmen.
Five people identified as Félix “N”, Cristian “N”, Ever “N”, Martín “N” and Johan “N”, were arrested. Police said they are being held “within the constitutional term provided will determine if they have participation in the commission of the act being investigated.”
According to the FGE, “upon entering the site, officers found that the animals were in inadequate conditions, as the cages were insufficient for their size, there was an accumulation of garbage, and there was no specialized technical personnel for the handling of these species.
“Initial investigations indicate that products unsuitable for animal feed were used at the site, and that the animals were being given milk intended for human consumption.”
Inside the property authorities located two capuchin monkeys, three spider monkeys (an endangered species), two squirrel monkeys, two kinkajous, as well as one specimen of each of the species of ocelot, juvenile white tiger, Bengal tiger, African lion, white tiger cub, black jaguar cub and cotton-eared marmoset.
During the operation, the participating agents secured the property and took custody of 16 animals, the FGE confirmed.
“The establishment’s business was selling photographs of clients posing with exotic felines displayed on the premises,” they said.
Quintana Roo Secretary of the Environment, Óscar Alberto Rébora Aguilar, said the raid was a long-standing demand from residents who continually reported the exploitation of the animals.
“The conditions they were in were inadequate. The enclosures are very small and there are large tigers that weigh 100 kilos in them, therefore, this constitutes the crime of animal abuse.
“We are working with the Environmental Protection Agency, awaiting the technical opinion of veterinarians. In the meantime we have requested supplies for the transfer of the animals to Environmental Management Units,” he explained.
According to Rébora Aguilar, the animals are species protected by the Official Mexican Standard 059, which prohibits their exploitation.
He said once veterinarians and specialists have completed health checks, the animals will be transferred to Environmental Management Units where they will be kept safe until the process is complete.
