The Spanish police announced on Monday that they had arrested two people who were suspected of selling online -exotic cats, including protected species such as white tigers and pumas, and 19 cats in the operation.
The officials arrested the couple on the island of Majorca, where they are suspected, desert lynx and servals, a wild cat that comes from Africa, as well as hybrid species that were created by crossing these breeds with domestic cats, the police said in a statement. After Mallorca Daily BulletinThe two arrested suspects are Russian.
Further studies showed that their activities were only “the top of the iceberg” of an international trade in protected species such as white tigers and black panthers in which breeders, vans and veterinarians were involved, “said Spanish civil protection and the interior of the interior in one Press release.
“Most of the animals offered for sale came from countries such as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to be smuggled into the European Union,” they added.
The police suspect that the animals were brought to the European Union via Poland from Belarus and then offered false documentation throughout the block.
Among the other species that the couple offered for sale in their social media accounts were European lynx, hyenas and pumas. Officials published several pictures Show the cats in housings and officers Collect evidence.
The police said that the suspects had offered a cloudy leopard, one of the rarest and most difficult to grasp in the world, at a price of 60,000 euros (68,000 US dollars).
Officers also confiscated a caracal, a desert feast known for its distinctive long earbüger, as well as two servals and 16 hybrid cats.
They also confiscated more than 40 animal passes from Russia, Belarus and China as part of the operation.
The police said attempts to breed and keep exotic cats because pets in Russia and Ukraine are widespread, and the trend is extended to other countries.
“These species require a lot of space,” said the police. “In addition, they are very aggressive and can pose a danger to people or other animals so that many people get rid of these copies.”
