19 large cats rescued in Spain while the police raid is an animal smuggling ring

Spanish police say that they saved 19 strange homes from a house on the island of Mallorca, which was bound to sell in the illegal world market for large cats, and arrested the Russian couple who owned them.

With the demand for a large clip such as lions and tigers in some circles – some consider it a symbol of status – there is a quick work for the criminal rings that traffic passes in, even if animals are protected or from endangered species.

In a statement announcing the arrests on Monday, the Spanish authorities said that their suspects were linked to a smuggling ring working on multiple continents. They said: “The detainees sold different types of animals at the international level through the Internet gates, including white tigers, black leaflets, transactions, and bumas.”

When the police raided their house, they said, they found Caracal – a noticeable cat for its lengthy ears – and two men, in addition to 16 hybrids. Police said international travel documents from Russia, Belarus and China for more than 40 other animals were also discovered.

They said: “The operation revealed a global criminal organization that includes breeders, carriers and veterinarians.”

While many foreign pets trade all over the world are legal, the high demand attributed to a large part to the popularity of unusual accompanying animals on social media over the past decade has led to an increase in illegal trafficking. This, in turn, contributed to the exhaustion of the population in the wilderness, Conservatives say.

The demand for large cats has increased even with the increasing places of the regulations. In the Persian Gulf, strange pets are now a It should be the supplement For many wealthy people. Some may be inspired by the pictures of Crown Prince Dubai, Hamdan bin Mohammed Al -Muqtoum, with him Lion of pets, Moshe.

Also in the Balkans, the big cats have Become popular The influencers also publish pictures of their harmony on social media. And the large trafficking became a murderer The major companies in South AfricaWhere conservation specialists say criminal networks benefit from fragmented regulations.

The illegal wildlife trade takes about a dollar20 billion around the world Annually, according to Interpol, it is intertwined with the other criminal activity. In February, the International Police Organization said that approximately 20 thousand animals are all endangered or reserved species, Rescue In a global process with the World Customs Organization. Among them were 18 large cats.

2024 United Nations A report on the crime of wildlife He said, “Organized crime is clear in various specialized wildlife smuggling roles, such as export, import, mediation, storage, retaining, live samples, or dealing with the interface with processors,” he said.

The United States passed in 2022 Public Safety Law The Great CatWhich have placed restrictions on raising, selling and private ownership of some strange cats, including lions, tigers, snowy leopards, yagwar, chopped, and leopards covered with leopards and leopards. A 2020 documentary on a man runs a strange animal park in Oklahoma, “Nimr King”, ” Aid to pass the law.

Because animal trafficking is an international relationship, as conservative specialists say, its curbing requires a unified global approach.

Since 1975, a multilateral agreement called the International Trade Agreement with endangered species was valid, but with limited success only. Dr. Megan Natalie, a legal advisor specializing in wildlife crimes and preserving it, said that the agreement “was never aimed at addressing wildlife trafficking as a serious crime across patriotism.”

Dr. Natalie said: “The efforts to combat trafficking in wildlife call for a decisive shift towards coordinated and multiple criminal penalties at the international level.”