The special environmental prosecutor on Thursday robbed a property of the former player José Rijo, where he saved three crocodiles that he owned irregularly and in deplorable conditions. A fourth crocodile died.
The prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation that could lead to sanctions against Rijo, said San Cristóbal Environmental Prosecutor Rigoberto Santana del Rosario, who led the operation with authorities from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Zoo.
The attacked house is located on Los Peloteros Street, in the urbanization of El Rosal, in Madre Vieja Sur, in this municipality.
“These are four crocodiles that I found in an area where they cannot be, in violation of Law 64-00. The conditions in which they were found caused the death of one of these animals, it is unfortunate, but what we are trying to do is that those who survived can be in better conditions, in a place where they receive adequate protection and care. ” said Bead Santana del Rosary.
The note says that the three survivors were left around a small pool with only a few liters of water, which threatened their health and life.
The authorities will transfer them to the National Zoo, where they will be subjected to appropriate veterinary analysis and care, for their subsequent integration into an appropriate habitat.
The crocodile is a species whose conservation is threatened and therefore its possession is not allowed unless it is in zoos and similar areas, explained biologist Nelson García Mercado, from the Ministry of Environment. “The animals are in terrible health. They throw away their food with plastic bags “, explained the professional.
A press release from the Attorney General’s Office indicates that the former Major League Baseball player had the animals in captivity without the appropriate environmental permits, in violation of the General Law on the Environment and Natural Resources (64-00), Articles 136, 137, 174, 175.1 and 175.3.
He details that the operation was authorized by the Judicial Office of the Permanent Care Services in this jurisdiction, through Judge Katerine Rubio Matos and that the investigations are continuing.