The Spanish Police said Monday that they had arrested two people selling for sale of exotic cats online, including protected species such as white tigers and pumas, and had confiscated 19 felines in the operation.
The officers arrested the couple on the island of Majorca, where they are suspended to raise lynx and desert servals, a wild cat native to Africa, as well as hybrid species created by crossing races with domestic cats, police said in a statement. According to the Mallorca Daily Bulletin, the two arrested suspects are Russians.
Additional investigations found that their activities were only “the tip of the iceberg” or an international traffic operation of protected species such as white tigers and black panthers “involving breeders, transporters and veterinarians”, the Spanish and interior civil guard.
“Most of the animals offered for the sale of countries such as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to be introduced into the European Union,” they added.
Police suspect that the animals were taken to the European Union through Poland from Belarus, and were then sacrificed through the block with false documentation.
Among the other species, the couple offered for sale in their social media accounts were European, hyenas and pumas. The officials published several images that show cats in enclosures and officers that collect evidence.
Police said the suspects had sacrificed a cloudy leopard, one of the world’s strange and elusive cats, at a price or 60,000 euros ($ 68,000).
The officers also confiscated a Caracal, a desert lynx known for its long -ear strap, as well as two servals and 16 hybrid felines.
They also confiscated more than 40 animal passports from Russia, Belarus and China as part of the operation.
Police said attempts to expand and keep exotic cats since pets are extended in Russia and Ukraine, and the trend has expanded to other countries.
“These species require a lot of space,” said the police. “In addition, they are very aggressive and can represent a danger to people or other animals, so many people end up getting rid of these specimens.”