Authorities breakup exotic cat smuggling ring in Mallorca and confiscate 19 animals
Spanish police have arrested two people in connection with the sale of exotic cats online.
The Civil Guard confirmed authorities seized 19 animals, including a caracal and two servals, in an operation in Manacor, on the Balearic island of Mallorca.
They also confiscated 40 irregular passports from countries such as Russia, Belarus and China.
The operation began in March last year due to reports of a couple in Palma de Mallorca who were raising servals, caracals and hybrids with domestic cats to sell them using social media.
The couple were allegedly offering white tigers, Eurasian lynxes, hyenas, black leopards and pumas for sale. They also accused of offering the sale of clouded leopards, for the price of €60,000.
The animals will be transferred to a rescue and rehabilitation center for exotic mammals in Alicante, eastern Spain.
According to authorities, attempts to breed and own these types of felines as pets are widespread in Russia and Ukraine, with the trend filtering out to other countries.
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