After the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) indicated that the national regulations prevent the importation of 9 Bengal tigers to the Ponderosa Adventure Park center, the park managers assured that they have legal support for the animals’ arrival.
On February 28th, La Ponderosa announced that 9 Bengal tigers will arrive in Costa Rica. They were donated by Hermanos Juárez circus. They are Delilah (7 years), Samson (7 years) Royal, Nero, Fabiola and Tony (8 years) and Prince, Ramses and Kimba (2 years, 9 months old).
These animals would move to a 20,000-square-meter area and their habitat would improve because they are currently in cages in Nicaragua.
There is an international convention for the transfer of endangered species that includes the animals we have and these tigers are not the exception. The law allows me to bring them,
declared Rojas, who said he hopes to meet with the authorities in the next days.
La Ponderosa Adventure Park Center pointed out that, weeks ago, they asked the requirements to the MINAE headquarters in Guanacaste to bring the tigers so they are surprised by national authorities’ reactions.
They were aware that we were going to bring the tigers, we have never been told that we cannot do so,
stated Rojas.
The MINAE explained that this kind of import requires the authorization of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and pointed out that article 27 of Law 7317 on Wildlife Conservation is clear in prohibiting the tigers’ arrival:
It is prohibited … the importation of wildlife that is part of circuses, traveling public shows, etc., to the national territory, when its purpose is its public exhibition.