After authorities captured a leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, Jesus “The King” Zambada, his exotic animals were confiscated, many sent to Mexico’s zoos, but these zoos are having trouble taking care of the sudden increase in animals.
Though drug lords attain exotic animals as a sign of affluence and power, and house these “pets” in opulence, many of the animals are not properly fed or don’t receive proper medical attention. In many cases, panthers and tiger are even defanged and/or declawed.
And while the zoos are trying to accommodate the “drug lord zoo” animals, they are having trouble due to limited space and resources.
“Within the limited resources of the Mexican government, there are a lot of efforts to ensure the welfare of these animals,” Adrian Reuter Cortes of the conservation group the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico told the Associated Press. “But even the zoos have limits, and can’t welcome all the animals.”
