Seprona are investigating two people from Petrer, ages 29 and 35, who let a yacare caiman, a protected species, into the Almansa reservoir.
The men are charged with two crimes against plants and animals: letting a non-native species of fauna into the wild without permission and having a protected species of wildlife without permission.
The Almansa Seprona (Nature Protection Service) went to the reservoir on December 9th to try to catch what looked like a small alligator after getting a lot of reports about it.
The Guardia Civil says that the discovery scared many because it was in a “very accessible” bathing area.
It took a few tries to catch it, and the Almansa Fishermen’s Society and Environmental Agents of Castilla-La Mancha had to work together.
They ultimately caught the animal and found out that it was an unusual yacare caiman, which lives in South America.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) lists this species in Appendix II.
It was transferred to the Madrid Zoo for care after being rescued out of the water.
Seprona’s work made it feasible to find the people who illegally brought an exotic specimen into the wild.
They have also been looked at for a crime against animals for leaving a vertebrate animal in a situation that could put its life or health at risk.
Two years in prison at the most
The Guardia Civil says that, according to the Penal Code, people who hurt plants and animals could go to jail for four months to two years or pay a fine of eight to twenty-four months. In any case, they would be banned from working in their field for one to three years.
The same law says that the punishment for abandoning animals could be a fine of one to six months or community service of thirty-one to ninety days. It could also be a special disqualification of one to three years for working with animals or owning animals.
Author: Derek Appleton
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