Mexican Authorities Seize 112 Exotic Animals

Please Rate Vote 1 Vote 2 Vote 3 Vote 4 Vote 5

Authorities seized 11 iguanas in courier packages in the western Mexican state of Jalisco and 101 animals at a private zoo in Puebla state, the Profepa environmental protection agency said.

The iguanas, all from the threatened Ctenosaura oaxacana species, were ready to be shipped from El Salto, a city in Jalisco, to Ciudad Juarez, located across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, when the express mail company discovered them, the federal agency said in a statement.

The iguanas, which are worth $2,000 each, are being sent to a conservation center.

Profepa personnel, meanwhile, seized 101 animals at a private zoo in Puebla, located in central Mexico, that were being housed in poor conditions and abused.

The animals, including 41 big cats, were seized during an inspection at the Club de Animalitos in Tehucacan, a zoo that had operated for more than 20 years, Profepa said.