On Monday morning, a man named Pérez found the mutilated body of a crocodile in a protected area in the North Zone.
The man discovered the seemingly-adult animal without its tail in Golfito de Sarapiquí, inside the Mixed Wildlife Refuge Maquenque.
Apparently the attack would have occurred recently, as the one-meter reptile was not yet in a decomposing state.
According to the authorities, these animals are attacked for their tail, whose meat is very desirable, despite being totally illegal.
According to the neighbors of the community, the police post of Golfito had been closed several months ago, which has made the region more insecure and some crimes have increased.
On April 6th, a few kilometers from the place, in the sector of Chaparrón de Pital, poachers had killed a jaguar, which they hung from a tree and then photographed it as a trophy.
José Quirós, Sinac Wildlife Coordinator of the Huetar Norte Conservation Area, indicated that they will continue with the operational actions to find those responsible for this type of acts that damage the fauna of the area.