A road control of National Gendarmerie in the Santa Fe town of Cattails revealed the illegal transportation of 166 tortoises and several birds hidden in a truck with a trailer that was traveling through the area.
The procedure was carried out past 21 p.m. Thursday in the kilometer 58 of National Route 34The vehicle was declared a general cargo of onions, was coming from Santiago del Estero and was destined for the Tapiales Central Market, in the province of Buenos Aires.
Operation and detection on Route 34
Staff of the Squadron 46 “Rosario–Victoria”, Totoras Road Safety Section, stopped the truck for a routine inspection and, upon checking the trailer, noticed suspicious packages between the pallets of merchandise.
After running the tarps, the agents found four burlap bags with movement and two cages with birds inside, so they activated the corresponding protocol and reported the news to the competent judicial authorities.
- 166 land tortoises recovered from inside the trailer
- 9 Hooded goldfinch ("cabecita negra") specimens
- 1 collared woodpecker
- Truck with trailer and cargo seized as a precautionary measure
Rescued species and economic valuation
Among the seized birds were identified nine hooded goldfinch (Sporophila frontalis) and a collared woodpecker (Sporophila collaris), in addition to land turtles; all are protected species by National Law 22.421.
The copies were made available to the Santa Fe Wildlife Directorate, with the support of the Rosario Environmental Police, for veterinary evaluation and subsequent reintroduction into their natural environment when possible.
According to official estimates, the value of the animals in the black market exceeds 900.000 pesos, approaching one million, a figure that reflects the economic appeal of wildlife trafficking.
Judicial intervention and driver situation
With the intervention of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Cañada de Gómez, in charge of the prosecutor Franco Miatello, the seizure of the truck, its trailer and the merchandise was ordered, as well as the transfer of the animals to safekeeping.
The driver was arrested for violating the Law 22.421 and, as he had no criminal record, he was released after the required procedures, although he remains linked to the case while the investigation progresses.
Once the procedures and judicial measures were completed, the vehicle was recovered by the company for which the driver works, under the conditions set by the Court.
Origin, destination and the fight against wildlife trafficking
The truck left from Santiago del Estero and headed to the Tapiales Central Market, in Buenos Aires, using a load of onions as a facade to hide the wildlife among the packages.
The force recalled that these operations are part of tasks of prevention and protection of biodiversity to curb the illegal trafficking of native species on the main routes of Santa Fe.
According to official provincial data, this year they have been completed 431 releases of wild animals, mostly birds, while the La Esmeralda Rescue Center received 725 copies among birds, mammals and reptiles for their recovery.
Among the most confiscated animals are the red-crested cardinal, the collared parrot and the talking parrot; among mammals, the weasel and the capybara stand out. turtle petting It is still under debate and many species are listed as vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN.
The procedure in Totoras clearly shows how these networks operate: 166 turtles and several birds were rescued from a truck that appeared to be transporting only onions, there is an open case and the animals will go through veterinary checks Before your return to habitat.
