What in the Joe Exotic is going on down in Spain?
On Monday, officials busted two Russians accused of selling exotic animals online as part of an international operation on the Spanish island of Majorca. When the raid went down, it was discovered that the couple had 19 cats on its property.
These included white tigers, pumas, and desert lynxes. Apparently, they also were crossbreeding some of the animals to create hybrids that were going for top dollar. For example, it was confirmed that a clouded leopard went for $60,000.
Couple Caught Illegally Breeding, Selling Exotic Animals
The Spanish Civil Guard said in a release that many of the animals they discovered were from Eastern European countries like Belarus and Ukraine, along with Russia. They all had falsified documents, as well.
According to the release, the operation has been going on since March 2024. That was when it was first discovered through social media that the couple was trying to sell these exotic critters online. If you’re wondering how these animals were transported from their origin countries to this island, it was through the Poland-Belarus border with the aforementioned fake documentation.
The two people face an assortment of charges that include wildlife crimes, smuggling, document forgery, and involvement in a criminal organization. The 19 animals that were confiscated have been transported to the Safari Zoo of Son Servera before they are relocated to another facility.
Raising exotic animals is a highly specialized field. When done illegally, there is a danger to not only those involved in the activity but to the general public. When people buy exotic animals, what tends to happen is they are later let go into the wild when the owners realize they’re ill-equipped to house the big cats.
That’s why authorities are so adamant about shutting down these operations. This type of crime is prevalent in Russia and Ukraine as the trend of breeding felines has begun to stretch into surrounding areas.
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