Until June 2024, the Zooor from Quito has received 110 animals, including birds, mammals, reptiles, exotic animals and amphibians; Of those, 69, that is, 62.72%, suffered illegal trafficking.
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That figure is dangerously close to that recorded last year. In 2023, the ‘Zoo’ received 229 animals including amphibians, exotic animals, mammals, reptiles and birds (in that order, according to the quantity most received per group).
The data was provided yesterday, June 24, 2024, after the Conversation Panel on Illegal Wildlife Trafficking.
There, the Latin American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (ALPZA) established the commemoration of the International Day Against Illegal Trafficking in Wildlife; It will be celebrated every June 25.
In that talk, Martín Bustamante, from Quito Zooemphasized the seriousness of the health risks associated with illegal wildlife trafficking.
“Let us remember what happened during the pandemic and how our countries, diverse and linked to conditions of poverty, face a great threat from a potential new pandemic.”
Animals victims of illegal trafficking
During the last few months, the Quito ‘Zoo’ has received significant cases such as an olingo (Bassaricyon gabbi); That animal arrived at the end of its breeding stage. Before, he was in a family’s home.
Another story: a two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmani) who would have lost his mother due to an attack by community members in the canton of San Lorenzo, province of Esmeraldas. Its prognosis is reserved, due to the fragility of the animal’s age.
The cases continue: four marmosas (a variety of opossums) that a citizen intended to sell on a street in Quito.
International Day Against Illegal Wildlife Trafficking.
To highlight this problem that is affecting the biodiversity of the most diverse region in the world, the Latin American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (ALPZA) declared June 25 as the International Day Against Illegal Wildlife Trafficking.
