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Published
on Monday, May 26, 2025
By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
Costa Rica’s National System
of Conservation Areas (Sinac), the
agency responsible for managing the country’s national parks
and protected areas, is urging the public,
including both residents and
tourists, to report cases of wild
animals being kept in captivity.
Citing limited
resources to monitor wildlife across the
entire country, Sinac
officials stressed the importance of
public assistance in identifying illegal
animal possession.
“We’re concerned about
wildlife trafficking,” Sinac said in a statement. “We can’t enter every home,
as they are private properties, and
there are legal restrictions on what our
officers can do.”
Authorities noted
that many wildlife trafficking cases are uncovered through citizen
reports or intelligence operations,
particularly involving the illegal sale
of animals on social media platforms.
Officials
emphasized that keeping wild animals as
pets is both illegal and dangerous. Such practices not only endanger the animals’ health but also threaten the country’s rich
biodiversity.
Traffickers often
use inhumane capture methods, resulting
in high mortality rates during transport
or confinement. “These animals are
frequently confined to cramped spaces,
fed inappropriate diets, and suffer from
illness,” officials said. “As they grow, they
may become aggressive or unmanageable,
leading some people to abandon them near
rescue centers or surrender them.”
Anyone who
suspects a wild animal is being
trafficked, kept in captivity, or sold
illegally is encouraged to report it by
calling Sinac’s dedicated hotline
at 1192 or by filing a report through the ‘Denuncias Sinac’ section on the agency’s official website.
The most recent
case of wildlife trafficking was reported last week when
park rangers and police discovered five
capybaras (Hydrochoerus
hydrochaeris) being held in captivity in
Orotina, Alajuela province.
The incident began during a routine police operation on Route 34. Officers stopped a vehicle allegedly carrying five men. Upon seeing law enforcement, the individuals fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle on the roadside.
During
an initial inspection, officers found
five capybaras caged inside the trunk
of the vehicle. Two
suspects, identified by the surnames
Torres and Navarrete, were arrested.
In addition to the animals, police
seized 60 doses of crack cocaine,
several packets of marijuana, plastic
spurs, and two knives. The suspects were
turned over
to the Public Prosecutor’s
Office, and all contraband was
confiscated. Park
rangers from the Alajuela station
rescued the animals, one male, one
female, and three juveniles,
and transported
them to the Zoave Animal Rescue Center
in La Garita canton, where they
received veterinary care. According
to Sinac, this marks the first time
capybaras have been
found
in Costa Rica. Officials believe the
animals were
trafficked
from South America. Capybaras,
the world’s
largest rodents, are semi-aquatic
mammals native to all South American
countries. They are closely related to
guinea pigs and rock cavies and
distantly related to agoutis,
chinchillas, and nutrias. Typically
found near water, capybaras inhabit
savannas and dense forests and live in
social groups of 10 to 20, though
herds of up to 100 have been
observed.
They are often hunted for their meat,
hide, and skin oil. The
greater capybara is
currently listed
as a species of Least Concern on the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Under
Costa Rica’s
Wildlife Conservation Law No. 7317,
hunting, trading, or keeping wild
animals in
captivity
is strictly prohibited. Offenders
may face fines ranging from $600 to
$26,000 or prison
terms of
one to three years. From
2014 to 2025, SINAC has reported over
60,000 seizures of wildlife and plant
species linked to illegal trafficking
activities in Costa Rica.
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