Giving them back the life expectancy and reproduction of their specimen, the Colombian Navy rescued Peter a bear, Marquito a monkey and Campanita a turtle, which had been extracted of their natural habitat to be traded illegally and some for human consumption, in the department of Nariño.
The rescue and safeguarding operations of the specimens were carried out in different places of the department by the troops of the Navy Infantry Brigade No.4. The first to be rescued in the municipality of Olaya Herrera, was the sloth bear to which the troops gave the name Peter, the animal was found, when they carried out searches and inspections to the boats that were sailing on the Sanquianga River, tied with ropes to the bow of a ship.
Taking into account that according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN, this specimen is on the way to extinction, the military personnel proceeded to recover Peter. This specimen is sold as a pet or for human consumption for an approximate price of five million pesos.
At the same time, a capuchin monkey named Marquito was rescued, when he was in the urban area of the municipality of Olaya Herrera. Apparently, he had escaped from his captors who had extracted him from his natural habitat.
Finally, 28 Hicotea -type turtles were recovered, including Campanita, the smallest turtle of the group. The first 12 were found by troops when they were transported inside a sack in a canoe, which was traveling near the Santa Bárbara de Iscuandé pier.
Another five hicoteas in the possession of an inhabitant of the sector, were recovered near the pier of the municipality of El Charco. The military personnel held an awareness talk to the inhabitants in order to encourage them to take care and protect this specimen that is on the way to extinction according to resolution 0192 of 2017, issued by the Ministry of the Environment.
The remaining 11 were found by troops in the municipality of Tumaco, inside sacks and cardboard boxes. Apparently, the individuals who had them in their possession abandoned them when they noticed the existence of navy units in the sector.
All the specimens recovered were put into custody of the environmental authorities, who, in all cases, verified the health status of the animals and subsequently, accompanied by of the crew of the Navy Infantry Brigade No.4; the animals were taken to their natural habitat where they were released.
