Latest news with #Moochi
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Officials uncover horrifying international scheme hidden behind online pet ads: 'A global criminal organization'
Spanish authorities seized 19 exotic cats from Majorca and arrested the couple who allegedly intended to sell them, The New York Times reported. A Russian couple was arrested on charges of operating a smuggling ring in multiple continents. On the island, police arrested the two suspects and seized exotic felines, including a caracal, two servals, and 16 hybrids. Caracals are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and are threatened by habitat loss and hunting. In the raid, authorities uncovered travel documents for more than 40 other animals to countries including Russia, Belarus, and China. "The detainees sold various animal species internationally through internet portals, including white tigers, black leopards, hyenas, and pumas," they said in a statement, according to the Times. "The operation has uncovered a global criminal organization involving breeders, transporters, and veterinarians." According to Panthera, the illegal wildlife trade is a multibillion dollar market. Big cats, such as tigers and lions, are a sought-after commodity across the globe. Unusual pets have become popular on social media, too. For example, the Persian Gulf is a big market for exotic pets, with the crown prince of Dubai having shown off his pet lion, Moochi, on social media. The World Wildlife Fund found that "online platforms are now the dominant market for the trafficking of live wildlife for exotic pets and wildlife products." The World Economic Forum reports that 4,000 animal and plant species are affected by illegal trade. According to a United Nations report, it is part of a larger problem that puts over one million species at risk of extinction. In captivity, cats can become distressed and harm themselves and others. In South Africa, a captive tiger chewed through its own front legs. Wildlife trafficking doesn't just put those animals at risk; since they are taken out of their habitats and upset ecosystems, plants, other creatures, and insects are also in danger. Invasive species threaten ecosystems, human health, and the economy as well, causing over $423 billion in losses annually throughout the world. Even domestic cats are considered an invasive species, as they can impact bird species in certain countries. Do you think people should be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? Yes No It depends on the animal It depends on the person Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Because animal trafficking is an international affair, conservationists say, curbing it requires a unified global approach," Ephrat Livni wrote for the Times. Roughly 5,800 animals, including tigers and caracals, are protected by CITES. In 2022, the United States passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which provides protections for exotic cats against trade, purchase, breeding, and possessing. Despite this, wildlife trafficking still happens. However, authorities do make stops. In Israel, officials discovered exotic cats were being trafficked with the use of heavy-duty drones. In Canada, a woman was fined $15,000 for illegally breeding Savannah cats. In 2024, a global operation saved more than 20,000 endangered animals, including 18 big cats. "Efforts to combat wildlife trafficking call for a decisive shift toward harmonized and dissuasive criminal sanctions at the international level," wildlife conservation specialist Meganne Natali said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
New York Times
15-04-2025
- New York Times
19 Big Cats Rescued in Spain as Police Raid Animal Smuggling Ring
The Spanish police say they rescued 19 exotic felines from a home on the island of Majorca that were bound for sale on the growing illegal world market for big cats, and they arrested the Russian couple who owned them. With demand for large felines like lions and tigers high in some quarters — some consider them a status symbol — there is a brisk business for criminal rings that traffic in them, even if the animals are protected or endangered species. In a statement Monday announcing the arrests, the Spanish authorities said the two suspects were tied to a smuggling ring that works on multiple continents. 'The detainees sold various animal species internationally through internet portals, including white tigers, black leopards, hyenas, and pumas,' they said. When the police raided their home, they said, they found a caracal — a cat notable for its elongated ears — and two servals, as well as 16 hybrids. International travel documents from Russia, Belarus and China for more than 40 others animals were also discovered, the police said. 'The operation has uncovered a global criminal organization involving breeders, transporters, and veterinarians,' they said. While much of the exotic pet trade worldwide is legal, a spike in demand attributed in great part to the popularity of unusual companion animals on social media over the past decade has led to an increase in illegal trafficking. That in turn has contributed to the depletion of populations in the wild, conservationists say. The demand for big cats has risen even as regulations to protect them have increasingly been put in place. In the Persian Gulf, exotic pets are now a must-have accessory for many of the wealthy. Some may have been inspired by images of Dubai's crown prince, Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum, with his pet lion, Moochi. In the Balkans, too, big cats have become popular as influencers post photos of their felines on social media. And big-cat trafficking has become big business in South Africa, where conservationists say criminal networks take advantage of fragmented regulations. The illegal wildlife trade takes in about a $20 billion global business annually, according to Interpol, and it is intertwined with other criminal activity. In February, the international policing organization said that nearly 20,000 animals, all endangered or protected species, had been rescued in a global operation with the World Customs Organization. Among them were 18 big cats. A 2024 United Nations report on wildlife crime said that 'organized crime is evident in various specialized wildlife trafficking roles, such as export, import, brokering, storage, keeping and breeding live specimens or handling the interface with processors.' The Spanish authorities said that the big cats peddled by the suspects they arrested were likely smuggled into Europe from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Because animal trafficking is an international affair, conservationists say that curbing the illegal wildlife trade requires a unified global approach to enforcement and regulation. The United States in 2022 passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which placed restrictions on the breeding, sale and private ownership of some exotic felines, including lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, cougars, clouded leopards and cheetahs. A 2020 Netflix documentary about a man who ran an exotic animal park in Oklahoma, 'Tiger King, helped fuel passage of the law. Because animal trafficking is an international affair, conservationists say that curbing it requires a unified global approach. Since 1975, a multilateral agreement called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, has been in effect, but with only limited success. The pact 'was never intended to address wildlife trafficking as a serious transnational crime,' said Dr. Meganne Natali, a legal consultant specializing in wildlife crime and conservation. 'Efforts to combat wildlife trafficking call for a decisive shift toward harmonized and dissuasive criminal sanctions at the international level,' Dr. Natali said.
