400 Exotic Animals Rescued in Peru
18-11-2009 Latin American Herald Tribune, Venezuela
LIMA – Peruvian police rescued some 400 exotic animals, including macaws, monkeys, turtles, tortoises and parrots, which were being sold by illegal dealers in downtown Lima.
Among the animals rescued were two species of squirrel monkeys, yellow-foot tortoises and yellow side-necked turtles, iguanas and examples of the diminutive brotogeris parakeet from the Peruvian jungle.
Toads, lizards and a macaw with its wings cropped were also rescued, the official Andina news agency said.
The merchants also sold sewer rats, which they put in the same cages with laboratory mice and other animals, with the consequent danger of infecting both animals and humans.
Angel Tacchino, oversight manager for Lima city hall, said that operations like this will continue with the goal of reducing illicit sales and cruelty to animals.
Ayacucho Avenue, the downtown Lima street where the police raid took place Tuesday, is the traditional point of sale for many steet vendors selling all kinds of animals, from puppies piled one on top of the other in cardboard boxes to exotic species from the Peruvian jungle.
Farm animals are also plentiful – hens and guinea pigs, the latter a traditional feature of the Andean diet, which are displayed in mountains of cages that cover the walls of buildings in the area. EFE
(Bron: http://www.laht.com/)
(Bron foto: Latin American Herald Tribune)
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