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The Star
05-07-2025
- The Star
Animal exodus from cartel crossfire
A PACK of veterinarians clambered over hefty metal crates, loading them one by one onto a fleet of semi-trucks. Among the cargo: tigers, monkeys, jaguars, elephants and lions – all fleeing the latest wave of cartel violence eclipsing the northern Mexican city of Culiacan. For years, exotic pets of cartel members and circus animals have been living in a small refuge on the outskirts of Sinaloa's capital. However, a bloody power struggle erupted last year between rival Sinaloa cartel factions, plunging the region into crippling levels of violence and leaving the leaders of the Ostok Sanctuary reeling from armed attacks, constant death threats and a cutoff from essential supplies needed to keep their 700 animals alive. The aid organisation left Culiacan and transported the animals hours across the state in hopes that they'll escape the brunt of the violence. But fighting has grown so widespread in the region that many fear it will inevitably catch up. 'We've never seen violence this extreme,' said Ernesto Zazueta, president of the Ostok Sanctuary. 'We're worried for the animals that come here to have a better future.' A veterinarian greeting another elephant in its enclosure at the sanctuary. A bloody power struggle erupted last year between rival Sinaloa cartel factions, plunging the region into crippling levels of violence and leaving the leaders of the Ostok Sanctuary reeling from armed attacks. — AP Violence in the city exploded nine months ago when two rival Sinaloa Cartel factions began warring for territory after the dramatic kidnapping of the leader of one of the groups by a son of notorious capo Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, who then delivered him to US authorities via a private plane. Since then, intense fighting between the heavily armed factions has become the new normal for civilians in Culiacan, a city which for years avoided the worst of Mexico's violence in large part because the Sinaloa Cartel maintained such complete control. 'With the escalating war between the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, they have begun to extort, kidnap and rob cars because they need funds to finance their war,' said security analyst David Saucedo. 'And the civilians in Culiacan are the ones that suffer.' Zazueta, the sanctuary director, said their flight from the city is another sign of just how far the warfare has seeped into daily life. Recently, refuge staff loaded up roaring animals onto a convoy as some trainers attempted to sooth them. One murmured in a soft voice as he fed a bag of carrots to an elephant in a shipping container, 'I'm going to be right here, no one will do anything to you.' Veterinarians and animals travelled along the freeway to seaside Mazatlan, where they released the animals into another wildlife reserve. Emus from the Ostok Sanctuary gazing out from a truck as they are transported to Mazatlan, Sinaloa state. — AP Their caravan of vehicles flying large white flags, in a sign of peace, rolled past young men in black ski masks perched on motorcycles who watched them intently – a reminder of what the animals and refuge workers were leaving behind. The relocation came after months of planning and training the animals, a move made by the organisation in an act of desperation. They said the sanctuary was caught in the crossfire of the warfare because of its proximity to the town of Jesus Maria, a stronghold of Los Chapitos, one of the warring factions. During intense periods of violence, staff at the sanctuary could hear gunshots echoing nearby, the roar of cars and helicopters overhead, something they say scares the animals. Cartel fighting regularly blocked staff off from reaching the sanctuary, and some animals went days without eating. Many have started to lose fur and at least two have died due to the situation, Zazueta said. Complicating matters is the fact that an increasing number of the animals they rescue are former narco pets left abandoned in rural swathes of the state. In one case, a Bengal tiger was discovered chained in a plaza, caught in the centre of shootouts. Rumours circulate in Sinaloa and other conflict-ridden parts of Mexico that capos feed their enemies to pet lions. Diego Garcia, a refuge staff member, is among those who travel out to rescue those animals. A lion at the sanctuary waiting to be transported to Mazatlan, where the bursts of violence are more tempered than in Culiacan. — AP He said he regularly receives anonymous threats, with callers claiming to know his address and how to find him. He worries he'll be targeted for taking away the former pets of capos. Zazueta said the refuge also receives calls threatening to burn the sanctuary to the ground and kill the animals if payment isn't made. 'There's no safe place left in this city these days,' said Garcia. That's the feeling for many in the city of one million. When the sun rises, parents check for news of shootouts as if it were the weather, to determine if it's safe to send their kids to school. Burned houses sit riddled with bullets and occasionally bodies appear hanging from bridges outside the city. By night, Culiacan turns into a ghost town, leaving bars and clubs shuttered and many without work. 'My son, my son, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you alone,' screamed one mother, sobbing on the side of the road and cursing officials as they inspected her son's dead body, splayed out and surrounded by bullet casings late one night. 'Why do the police do nothing?' she cried out. In February, while driving a refuge vehicle used to rescue felines and other species, Garcia said he was forced from the car by an armed, masked man in an SUV. At gunpoint, they stole the truck, animal medicine and tools used by the group for rescues and left him trembling on the side of the road. The breaking point for the Ostok Sanctuary came in March, when one of the two elephants in their care, Bireki, injured her foot. Veterinarians scrambled to find a specialist to treat her in Mexico, the United States and beyond. No one would brave the trip to Culiacan. 'We asked ourselves, 'What are we doing here?'' Zazueta said. 'We can't risk this happening again. If we don't leave, who will treat them?' The concern by many is that Mexico's crackdown on the cartels will be met with even more violent power moves by criminal organisations, as has happened in the past, said Saucedo, the security analyst. Zazueta blames the local government and security forces for not doing more, and said that their pleas for help have gone unanswered. The sanctuary made the move without any public announcement, worried that they might face repercussions from local officials or the same cartels forcing them to flee, but they hope the animals will find some relief in Mazatlan after years of conflict. Garcia, the sanctuary staff member, is not so sure. While he hopes for the best, he said he's also watched cartel violence spread like a cancer across the Latin American country. Mazatlan, too, is also facing bursts of violence, though nothing compared to the Sinaloan capital. 'It's at least more stable,' he said. 'Because here, today, it's just suffocating.' But as the sun set, dozens of refuge workers, families and local media gathered at an animal refuge in Mazatlan, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of trailers loaded with elephants, lions and tigers dozing and peering out curiously at the beginning of their new lives. — AP
CNN
22-05-2025
- CNN
Even hippos, elephants and monkeys are fleeing bloody gang violence in Mexico's Sinaloa province
Organized crime and violence in the Mexican state of Sinaloa has forced a local sanctuary to close and transfer at least 700 animals – including elephants, tigers, lions, ostriches, chickens, monkeys, crocodiles, and hippos – to a new location 212 kilometers (approximately 131 miles) away. The animals were relocated from the Ostok Sanctuary in Culiacan, a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, to Mazatlan, in the southern part of the state, due to ongoing violence, according to sanctuary director Ernesto Zazueta. In recent months, violence between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel has surged across the state in northwestern Mexico, particularly in Culiacan. According to Zazueta, this is the largest relocation of wildlife in Mexico ever carried out due to violence. Zazueta stated that the sanctuary closed due to threats to staff, robberies, and extortion attempts from criminal groups. Zazueta told CNN that sanctuary staff, along with volunteers and supporting organizations, relocated the animals on Tuesday to a site called 'Bioparque El Encanto.' 'Culiacan is the toughest area. We had never had problems in other occasions, but nowadays it became very difficult for us to even reach the sanctuary. They practically chased us out of the place because there were people who wanted to extort us,' Zazueta said. Zazueta said the sanctuary came to its decision after one of its elephants, named Viki, had a problem with her leg and the staff realized that no veterinarian was willing to make the trip to Culiacan due to safety concerns.
CNN
22-05-2025
- CNN
Even hippos, elephants and monkeys are fleeing bloody gang violence in Mexico's Sinaloa province
Organized crime and violence in the Mexican state of Sinaloa has forced a local sanctuary to close and transfer at least 700 animals – including elephants, tigers, lions, ostriches, chickens, monkeys, crocodiles, and hippos – to a new location 212 kilometers (approximately 131 miles) away. The animals were relocated from the Ostok Sanctuary in Culiacan, a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, to Mazatlan, in the southern part of the state, due to ongoing violence, according to sanctuary director Ernesto Zazueta. In recent months, violence between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel has surged across the state in northwestern Mexico, particularly in Culiacan. According to Zazueta, this is the largest relocation of wildlife in Mexico ever carried out due to violence. Zazueta stated that the sanctuary closed due to threats to staff, robberies, and extortion attempts from criminal groups. Zazueta told CNN that sanctuary staff, along with volunteers and supporting organizations, relocated the animals on Tuesday to a site called 'Bioparque El Encanto.' 'Culiacan is the toughest area. We had never had problems in other occasions, but nowadays it became very difficult for us to even reach the sanctuary. They practically chased us out of the place because there were people who wanted to extort us,' Zazueta said. Zazueta said the sanctuary came to its decision after one of its elephants, named Viki, had a problem with her leg and the staff realized that no veterinarian was willing to make the trip to Culiacan due to safety concerns.
CNN
22-05-2025
- CNN
Even hippos, elephants and monkeys are fleeing bloody gang violence in Mexico's Sinaloa province
Organized crime and violence in the Mexican state of Sinaloa has forced a local sanctuary to close and transfer at least 700 animals – including elephants, tigers, lions, ostriches, chickens, monkeys, crocodiles, and hippos – to a new location 212 kilometers (approximately 131 miles) away. The animals were relocated from the Ostok Sanctuary in Culiacan, a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, to Mazatlan, in the southern part of the state, due to ongoing violence, according to sanctuary director Ernesto Zazueta. In recent months, violence between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel has surged across the state in northwestern Mexico, particularly in Culiacan. According to Zazueta, this is the largest relocation of wildlife in Mexico ever carried out due to violence. Zazueta stated that the sanctuary closed due to threats to staff, robberies, and extortion attempts from criminal groups. Zazueta told CNN that sanctuary staff, along with volunteers and supporting organizations, relocated the animals on Tuesday to a site called 'Bioparque El Encanto.' 'Culiacan is the toughest area. We had never had problems in other occasions, but nowadays it became very difficult for us to even reach the sanctuary. They practically chased us out of the place because there were people who wanted to extort us,' Zazueta said. Zazueta said the sanctuary came to its decision after one of its elephants, named Viki, had a problem with her leg and the staff realized that no veterinarian was willing to make the trip to Culiacan due to safety concerns.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Fox News
Hundreds of animals flee cartel chaos, violence after wildlife refuge faced with threats
Print Close By Jasmine Baehr Published May 22, 2025 Not even wild animals are safe from Mexico's cartel violence. Tigers, elephants, lions and monkeys were evacuated this week from a wildlife refuge in Culiacán, Sinaloa, a city overrun by cartel gunmen. The animals, some of which were once kept as pets by drug lords, were moved to another facility after staff faced threats and gunfire — a total collapse of law and order. The Associated Press reports that the Ostok Sanctuary, which housed over 700 animals, was forced to pack up and flee after months of violence and intimidation from rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. WEALTHY SUBURB ROCKED BY SUSPECTED CARTEL MURDER-FOR-HIRE SHOWS DRUG LORDS' REACH ACROSS US: EXPERT Some animals went days without food. Others began shedding fur from stress. Two big cats died. "We've never seen violence this extreme," sanctuary Director Ernesto Zazueta told the AP. This is what happens when cartels run the show and the government steps aside. For years, Culiacán was under firm control of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organizations. That "order" shattered when a son of El Chapo Guzmán kidnapped a rival cartel leader and handed him over to U.S. authorities. MEXICO OFFERS PROTECTION TO FAMED SINGER AFTER DRUG CARTEL DEATH THREATS Now, the cartels are fighting each other for turf. And civilians, including children and families, are paying the price. Security analyst David Saucedo told the AP that the two warring factions are "extorting, kidnapping and robbing" to fund their war. Roads are blocked. Shootings happen almost daily. Parents check the news each morning to see if it's safe to send their kids to school. When night falls, the streets go dark. Bars close. Businesses shut down. The police? Mostly absent. The animal refuge sat near Jesús María, a stronghold of the Chapitos, a faction run by El Chapo's sons. That made it a dangerous place to operate. According to the UK's Mirror, exotic animals were being caught in the crossfire. Tigers, lions, even elephants were showing signs of trauma from hearing gunfire and helicopters nearby. Some of the animals were once owned by cartel bosses. One tiger was found chained in a plaza during a shootout. Locals whisper that drug lords feed enemies to their pet lions — a disturbing rumor that reflects just how broken things are. Staff say they received threats to burn down the sanctuary and kill the animals unless payments were made. "There's no safe place left in this city these days," rescuer Diego García told the AP. After months of pleading for help, the sanctuary got nothing from the government. Not a single authority stepped in to protect the animals or the workers. The last straw came when one of the sanctuary's elephants, Bireki, injured her foot. No vet in Mexico or even the U.S. was willing to travel to cartel territory to treat her. "We asked ourselves, 'What are we doing here?'" Zazueta told the AP. "If we don't leave, who will treat them?" That led to the quiet decision to evacuate: not just the elephant, but every animal on site. Trucks with white flags were loaded with sedated tigers, lions, jaguars and elephants. Some workers whispered calmly to the animals, trying to ease their stress. The convoy rolled out of Culiacán, past masked cartel lookouts on motorbikes, and into Mazatlán. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It took months of training and planning. But the animals made it. For now. Sanctuary staff are praying that Mazatlán will be a true refuge. But they know cartel violence has spread like a disease. And the fear is that it could follow them. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Print Close URL
