Overview
- A motorcyclist alerted police on Wednesday after spotting a white Bengal cub in the passenger seat of a parked vehicle near the Central de Abasto in Iztapalapa.
- Officers stopped the driver, identified as José Luis “N,” who tried to flee, could not produce paperwork proving legal ownership or transport, and was placed at the disposal of the Fiscalía General de la República.
- Specialists from the Brigada de Vigilancia Animal assessed the animal as a female tigress of about four months and moved her to secure BVA facilities in Xochimilco for care and custody.
- Authorities seized the vehicle for the inquiry and said the probe will determine provenance, ownership, conditions of care and whether the case involves commercial trafficking under federal law.
- Mexico's legal framework treats trade and possession of protected species as serious crimes with possible prison terms and large fines and Profepa has signaled stronger enforcement against illegal exotic-animal commerce.