Mexico Zoo Director Accused Of Killing Rare Pygmy Goats & Feeding Them To Guests
on Feb 08, 2023
Mexico City recently experienced a shocking event at a local zoo when the director allegedly killed four of the zoo’s pygmy goats and served them as food to guests at a holiday party.
José Rubén Nava, the former director of the zoo in Chilpancingo, was replaced after authorities discovered the animals slaughtered.
“These four animals were slaughtered and cooked on the zoo’s premises, and were served as food at the end of the year party,” Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez, the Guerrero state Environment Department’s director of wildlife said in a video announcing the allegations against Nava on Tuesday. “This put the health of the people who ate them at risk, because these animals were not fit for human consumption.”
Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez, the director of wildlife in the Guerrero state Environment Department, stated that these animals were not fit for human consumption, putting the health of the guests who ate them at risk.
The guests were not aware that they were eating zoo animals and it is unclear if official charges have been filed against Nava.
Additionally, Nava was accused of selling and trading animals, including a zebra for tools that were never found by authorities.
He also allegedly gave at least one deer and four African Watusi cattle to private citizens, and several other creatures were missing, including a jaguarundi, reptiles, and a red-tailed hawk.
The investigation into the zoo began after the suspicious death of a deer was discovered by nearby residents.
The illegal sale of exotic wildlife is rampant in Mexico and it is common for authorities to discover private zoos or animals kept as house pets during raids of organized crime members’ homes.
Nava gave his own press conference denying the allegations and claiming that members of the environmental department were waging a “dirty war” against him.
