12/28/2023 0 Comments Are there lots of snakes in el paso tx![]() from Latin America are classified as CITES Appendix II species. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Īccording to Goyenechea, many of the popular animals and wildlife items-the parrots, the caiman shoes, the crocodile boots-coming legally into the U.S. Trade of animals, plants and wildlife products between countries is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty joined by 183 governments around the world. ![]() The majority of confiscated animal products are sent to the National Wildlife Property Repository in Denver, but a number go to universities and museums for their educational value. Most of the seized live animals are placed in rehabilitation facilities and zoos, and some are repatriated to their country of origin. In addition they must monitor all the animals and wildlife products coming in legally. ![]() These few officers aren’t solely responsible for policing the illegal trade, Chavez explains. El Paso has five inspectors and one agent covering the 450 miles of border that includes three bridges, a railroad, and the city’s international airport. ![]() Take Brownsville, Texas, a city with three bridges across the Rio Grande but only one full-time inspector and one agent based about 50 miles away who’s responsible for about 325 miles of border between the Gulf of Mexico and Eagle Pass, Texas. “Coming from Mexico, there’s a lot of vehicle traffic, and neither customs or us can catch everything.” There aren’t enough agents, Chavez adds, “and it’s all throughout the border.” “There’s a demand for exotic skin boots, and the more exotic, the more people want them,” he says. Smuggled wildlife products are mostly leather wallets, boots, and belts made from the skins of caimans, alligators, and sea turtles. The main entry points for smuggled wildlife are border cities such as El Paso, Texas, San Diego, California, Nogales, Arizona, and Laredo, Texas.Ĭhavez says the top confiscated live animals-the majority destined for the pet trade-are reptiles and parrots from countries throughout South America as well as Mexico. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for, among other things, enforcing the country’s wildlife laws, oversees enforcement along most of the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico. Nicholas Chavez, the southwest region special agent for the U.S. ( Read more: World to Lose Two-Thirds of Wild Animals by 2020?) Latin America has the greatest wildlife diversity on Earth, but its animal populations have fallen by 83 percent since the 1970s-the most drastic decline of wildlife in any global region-according to the 2014 Living Planet Report by the Washington, D.C.,-based World Wildlife Fund. We cannot imagine how much more is happening that we haven’t caught,” she says. This included nearly 55,000 live animals and three million pounds of wildlife products.Īlejandra Goyenechea, senior international counsel for Defenders of Wildlife and a co-author of a comprehensive report about the trade published the year before, says the findings represent “just the tip of the iceberg. Of the nearly 50,000 illegal shipments of wildlife and wildlife products seized at ports of entry from 2005 through 2014, more than a quarter originated in Latin America, according to a 2016 fact sheet from Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington, D.C.-based conservation organization. is a hot zone for wildlife smuggling, and while President Trump has vowed to stop illegal immigration from Mexico, it’s unclear what he intends to do to thwart the flow of illicit wildlife. Smugglers used tire inner tubes to keep the box of birds afloat during the river crossing. In one case, according to a special agent, it was about 25 parrots destined to be sold as pets. Traffickers from Latin America are desperate to get their product into the United States-so desperate they’ll risk the dangers of swimming across the Rio Grande with their contraband.
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