Schemes for illegal trade in exotic animals operate in our country, and the case of the crocodile from "Botunets" was indicative of this, BNT reported.
A media team has found that monkeys and servals are being offered online, even though their domestication is prohibited. Even a crocodile is sold, but this is not illegal - as long as the owner has provenance documents.
Part of the shady business may be the crocodile that was discovered in a pit in the capital's "Botunets" district. on August 6. The documents provided to authorities by his owner appear to be of a different animal. The data in it does not match the chip, the owner's name and the breeding address. According to documents, the crocodile is registered in Varna. How does this business prosper amid the institutional mess?
We come across an ad for the sale of capuchins and marmosets. We ask how we can get a monkey. A few minutes later they ask us for a phone number to send us photos and videos of the animals through a mobile app. We ask if there is another possibility to negotiate. A little later, photos of monkeys that were babies arrived in the e-mail.
The capuchin costs 800 and the marmoset - 600 euros. Payment is through online platforms, and delivery - up to 3 hours after we pay. They assure us that we will receive all the documents and warn us that if we pay by bank transfer, it will be very expensive. We stop negotiating and ask the authorities if we can buy a pet monkey.
"Primates and wild cats are prohibited. Their breeding is prohibited by private individuals and persons outside zoos and rescue centers," explained Valeri Georgiev, Head of the "Biological Diversity" Department, Ministry of Education and Culture.
Nevertheless, last year an escaped serval got the authorities in Burgas on their feet. Customs and the Food Agency have been warned not to let such animals into the country unless they are for zoos, but environmental authorities have come across banned species in private homes.
"When an animal was imported from Italy, then this lady was tried in Italy", pointed out Valeri Georgiev.
The Eco-Ministry warns that advertisements for the sale of prohibited species often mislead consumers.
"You pay - you get nothing. We have alerts for animals sold where the address is in Bankya, but there is nothing in Bankya at that address. Bulgaria is used as a country of origin, some documents are issued, but the animals have never passed through here", commented Valeri Georgiev.
In our country, it turns out, there is no national register of exotic animals. Regional eco-inspections in the country have data. In Varna, for example, 9 crocodiles have been registered in 20 years.
"5 of the registration cards have been declared invalid and only 4 remain valid," said Sanya Krasteva - RIOSV - Varna.
Among the valid registration cards in Varna is that of the crocodile, which was found in a pit in the capital's "Botunets" district.
"It is the owner's duty to notify the RISV in writing in the event of such a change, including a change of the address of cultivation. At the moment, this type of notification has not been received," Sanya Krasteva pointed out.
The eco-inspection in Varna has never checked the conditions in which the crocodiles registered in the district are raised.
"Outside zoos, there are general conditions - animals should not be treated with cruelty, etc. There are no written conditions under which they are bred in private homes. The conditions for keeping animals are usually in the BABH - they generally deal with cruelty to animals, etc., said Valeri Georgiev.
However, the Food Agency claims that issues related to the conditions for breeding exotic animals are within the competence of the Eco-Ministry. Otherwise, the crocodile from "Botunets" he has already started eating. If the people who raised it do not provide the necessary documents, the reptile will be confiscated for the benefit of the state.