Overview
- The Guardia Civil’s nature unit identified two residents of Petrer, aged 29 and 35, as suspects in the illegal release of a yacare caiman into the Pantano de Almansa.
- They are accused of two crimes against flora and fauna—unauthorized introduction of a non-native species and illegal possession of a protected species—and of animal abandonment that endangered the reptile.
- SEPRONA has delivered its case file to the Almansa court, advancing the judicial process against the two men.
- The caiman was safely captured on July 9 with help from the local fishing society and regional environmental agents and was transferred to the Zoo de Madrid.
- The yacare caiman is regulated under CITES, and outlets citing the Penal Code report potential penalties that include prison terms, fines, and disqualification from animal-related activities.