Lázaro Cárdenas, Q.R. — The municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas in Quintana Roo was part of a recent inspection set up in seven states. Federal inspectors from Profepa set up inspection points in search of illegal wildlife trafficking.
The municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas is in the north of Quintana Roo, bordering with Cancun. During their four day inspection, environmental inspectors did not find any illegal wildlife trafficking in that municipality.
The Federal Attorney General for Environmental Protection (Profepa) conducted an operation to prevent and combat the illegal trafficking of species. The checkpoints included the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Veracruz and Tabasco.
As a result, 138 wildlife specimens were seized including songbirds, ornamental birds, psittacines, reptiles, arachnids and mammals.
The operation took place from March 11 to 15 and included actions such as setting up checkpoints and conducting highway patrols. These resulted in the inspection of more than 300 vehicles, boats and public transportation units at strategic locations.
In Quintana Roo, Veracruz, and Tabasco, no irregularities were detected during these operations, reinforcing the deterrent effect of these actions.
In terms of prevention, operations were carried out in priority areas for poaching, particularly in Yucatán. Patrols were conducted in Protected Natural Areas in Chiapas, including surveillance by land and river.
Furthermore, in Oaxaca and Chiapas, actions stemming from citizen complaints led to the identification of irregularities, the seizure of specimens, and the initiation of corresponding administrative proceedings.
Additionally, a spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) was received, given medical evaluation, and reintegrated into its habitat, as well as the transfer of four red macaws to a Wildlife Conservation Management Unit (UMA) for their protection and monitoring.
The activities were carried out with the support of various security agencies: 45 inspectors from Profepa and 150 security personnel from the National Guard, Sedena, Navy, state police, and local authorities participated. At least 234 kilometers were covered in operations and patrols.
The featured stocks by state are:
Campeche: Three reports related to the possession of wildlife specimens were addressed, resulting in the seizure of a coati (Nasua narica). Compliance with the Non-Extractive Management Plan was verified at a turtle camp, with no irregularities detected.
Chiapas: Five checkpoints were set up in the municipalities of Acapetahua, Mazatán, Marqués de Comillas, and Benemérito de las Américas; surveillance patrols were conducted in areas surrounding the La Encrucijada and Montes Azules Biosphere Reserves.
A spider monkey was voluntarily surrendered, received medical evaluation and was released back into its habitat. Four scarlet macaws were also transferred to a Wildlife Management Unit (UMA).
Oaxaca: At the Margarita Maza de Juárez Wholesale Market, authorities seized 20 bottles of mezcal containing wildlife and 34 specimens, including tarantulas, scorpions, a scorpion snake, and a coral snake.
A report was filed for failure to prove their legal origin. In the La Soledad neighborhood of the town of Zaachila, a crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) was rescued and taken to a Wildlife Management Unit (UMA) for evaluation, safekeeping, and subsequent release back into its natural habitat.
Quintana Roo: Checkpoints were set up at the State Committee for Livestock Development and Protection tollbooth in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas. Highway operations were carried out to inspect vehicles and verify that no specimens of wild flora and fauna were being transported. A total of 140 vehicles were inspected with no irregularities detected.
Veracruz and Tabasco: To combat the illegal trafficking of psittacines, highway operations were carried out at two toll booths and in areas where sales are suspected. No vendors were observed.
Additionally, awareness campaigns were conducted with neighboring local governments to strengthen the prevention and eradication of the illegal capture of these birds in the region.
Yucatán: Nine inspection visits were conducted in response to citizen complaints in the municipality of Mérida and its surrounding areas. As a result, 103 specimens of wildlife were seized due to their possession and sale without authorization from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) or documentation proving their legal origin.
The specimens included psittacines, a white-tailed deer, a sea turtle, a collared peccary, reptiles, and others. Additionally, two surveillance patrols were carried out in different municipalities with a high incidence of poaching and bird capture, without detecting any irregularities.
“Illegal wildlife trafficking is a crime that damages our ecosystems and biodiversity, and we will combat it relentlessly throughout the country, in coordination with federal and state security institutions. With these operations, we want to make it very clear that the law is enforced and that wildlife is protected, not traded or illegally extracted.
Defending biodiversity is also defending the balance of our ecosystems and the future of our communities,” stated Mariana Boy Tamborrell, Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection.
