The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) warns that some pet stores and animal rescue centers in San José participate in illegal trafficking. Some of the species being traded are tarantulas, iguanas, snakes and turtles.
According to Carlos Madriz, chief of prevention, protection and species control at SINAC, rescue centers and stores had documentation of specimens but they found out these animals had been dead or illegally replaced by another specimen.
An investigation of animals smuggling in a park of San José suggests that the species were going to be sold to stores.
Owning this kind of species is regulated by the Wild Conservation Act, but its cumbersome requirements encourage illegal trafficking, Madriz considers.
Last year, SINAC attended 836 complaints related with the Wild Life Conservation Act and most of them had to do with illegal possession of wild life by persons, rescue centers, and zoos.
Source: CRhoy.com