Narcozoologists, the fashion of the power of cocaine in Ecuador

A pair of jaguars caged on a ranch uncovered a cruel trend among drug traffickers of Ecuador. In the style of the cocaine baron Pablo Escobarthe bosses ride zoos clandestine activities that put the fauna at risk in this megadiverse country.

It is not the only case, but it is one of the most striking. In May, police found the endangered huge cats perched on a log and surrounded by bars.

The animals were on a property owned by Wilder Sánchez Farfán, alias “Cat” Farfán, an Ecuadorian drug trafficker related to the Mexican cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación and wanted by US justice after his arrest in Colombia in February.

In addition to the jaguars, the police found Amazon parrots, pheasants, parakeets and other exotic birds allegedly imported from China and Korea.

The phenomenon is “recent” and coincides with the increase in violence and drug trafficking in Ecuador, the new logistics center for the export of cocaine to the United States and Europe, Major Darwin Robles, head of the Environmental Protection Unit (UPMA) of Ecuador, tells AFP. police.

“For approximately four years, in about 20 or 25 operations” against drug trafficking, wild animals began to be found, he details.

The numbers of seizures of trafficked animals and rescue of species are on the rise in the nation, one of the most megadiverse on the planet. In 2022, the police seized and treated 6,817 specimens compared to 5,951 in 2021.

Like other confiscated animals, jaguars and birds of the “Cat” Farfán were taken to specialized wildlife centers to receive veterinary care, with a view to evaluating possible reintegration.

However, in most cases returning to a natural environment is impossible.

Status

When Escobar was killed by the police in 1993, his flamingos, giraffes, zebras and kangaroos were transferred to zoos. But a herd of hippos was left to its own devices and now reproduces uncontrollably due to the impotence of environmental authorities.

There are already more than a hundred huge beasts that attack people and are a headache for Colombia.

Ecuadorian drug traffickers “possibly demonstrate their power, their purchasing power, their economic capacity, they have these types of places in the pure style of Colombian drug traffickers from the 70s or 80s.”says Robles.

In smaller operations related to drug trafficking, soldiers have found turtles, snakes, skins and animal heads as trophies.

“Having an animal is a status symbol (…) That demonstrates within organized crime the ranking within this network”a spokesperson for the American NGO WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society, for its acronym in English), which collaborates with national authorities, comments under reservation to AFP.

And he gives an example: “I got a margay, but if I can get a jaguar it is much more”.

In this competition, exotic animals are one more element that is added to properties, luxurious cars, works of art, and jewelry.

In Ecuador, wildlife trafficking is punishable by up to three years in prison, while in countries like Colombia and Peru the penalties range up to nine and 20 years, respectively.

Fear of humans

At the Tueri wildlife hospital in Quito, ocelots, monkeys, porcupines, parrots and owls, victims of species trafficking, are recovered. They feed the birds with tweezers, treat their wounds and evaluate the possibility of reintroduction to their natural environment.

But of all the patients, only one twenty% will be able to return to its habitat. The rest will have to live in shelters because they no longer know how to survive in wild contexts and others will die due to the severity of their injuries.

The WCS spokesperson regrets that animal collectors do not understand the impact of taking an animal from the wild.

“Unfortunately, to have a little monkey at home you caused the hunter to kill the family and violently extract the baby.””, he expresses.

Shelters like Jardín Alado Ilaló, which works with the police, are the final destination for animals that survive trafficking.

Birds without beaks, with amputated claws or unable to find food for themselves will spend the rest of their days there. A few will have the opportunity, after weeks and even months of rehabilitation, to fly again.

Fear of humans is a lifeline in a possible reintegration.

“If we make contact and see that the animal is not scared of us, we can no longer reinsert it. If we realize that being a pigeon it gets scared, it is afraid, there is a possibility,” says Cecilia Guaña, in charge of caring for birds of prey and psittacines, such as macaws, in Jardín Alado-Ilaló.

Source: AFP