In the framework of territorial control and environmental protection operations, Navy Infantry units of the Colombian Navy, belonging to the Navy Infantry Brigade No.1, in coordination with environmental authorities and the National Police, reported the recovery of 77 specimens of wildlife in different municipalities of the departments of Bolivar, Sucre and Antioquia.
During the operations, specimens such as morrocoy turtles, boas, iguanas, opossums, babillas (lizards), parrots, parakeets, canaries and other birds were rescued, which had been kept in captive conditions or were being transported irregularly for their alleged commercialization.
According to preliminary estimates, the price of these specimens in the illegal market would exceed 400 million pesos, evidence of the magnitude of this crime that attacks biodiversity, the balance of ecosystems, and public health.
Illegal wildlife trafficking is a crime defined in article 328 of the Colombian Penal Code, which establishes that anyone who illegally appropriates, maintains, traffics, exploits, transports, trades or benefits from wildlife specimens will incur imprisonment of up to 135 months and fines of up to 43,750 monthly legal minimum wages in force. During these operations, one person was arrested and put into custody of the authorities.
In addition to the legal consequences, the extraction and commercialization of specimens generates serious blows to the natural balance of ecosystems, alters food chains, reduces wild numbers and in many cases puts at risk the survival of threatened specimens.
The recovered specimens were distributed to the corresponding environmental corporations, Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Dike Canal –CARDIQUE-, Regional Autonomous Corporation of Sucre -CARSUCRE- and the Environmental Public Establishment of Cartagena, institutions responsible for their veterinary assessment and specialized management. In the cases where it was possible to verify that the specimens were in good health conditions, they were immediately rescued into their natural habitat, while the others were put into custody of the environmental authorities to begin their rehabilitation process and subsequent rescue.
The Colombian Navy, through the Navy Infantry Brigade No.1, reaffirms its firm commitment to the defense of the environment and the protection of the biodiversity of the Colombian Caribbean, through joint and coordinated operations aimed at countering the illegal trafficking of wild specimens. Troops in the same way call on people to denounce this type of practices, which not only endanger the lives of animals but in the same way, public health and the ecological balance of the region.
Source: Press – Navy of Colombia
