Overview
- Profepa carried out coordinated actions in Durango and Aguascalientes that between June 16 and 18 led to the precautionary seizure or rescue of 28 animals, including two Bengal tigers, multiple reptiles and several native species.
- Inspectors found the tigers confined with damaged front claws and signs of neglect, two raptors with amputated limbs, and crocodiles kept inside private homes that lacked documentation of legal possession.
- Federal law under Article 420 of the Código Penal Federal criminalizes illegal capture, possession, transport or sale of protected species with penalties of one to nine years in prison and fines of 300 to 3,000 UMA, which can exceed 700,000 pesos when calculated for 2026.
- Authorities say the animals will remain under veterinary care or in authorized wildlife units while Profepa advances administrative procedures and a Durango inquiry examines possible commercial trafficking with support from the FGR, the Army and the National Guard.
- Profepa has refreshed public outreach urging owners to regularize or surrender undocumented specimens to Profepa or an authorized UMA rather than abandon them to avoid harm to the animals and potential criminal or civil penalties.