Mexico Investigates Surge in Illegal Wildlife TraffickingEnvironmental Agency Urges Citizens To Report Animal Trafficking
Mexico’s federal environmental agency, PROFEPA, is reporting a surge in the illegal sale and exploitation of wild, often endangered, animals and is asking the public for help to end wildlife trafficking.
While this campaign is focused on small exotic animals such as birds and reptiles, it also includes exotic animals used for commercial purposes at tourism destinations.
While there is no overarching ban on owning exotic animals in Mexico, individuals owning species such as alligators, large felines, or macaws must possess a license or face a fine of up to several million pesos.
“It’s easy to illegally buy a toucan, a howler monkey, or a sloth bear in Mexico. All you need is a social media account and some money. What is worse is that once in captivity, these animals are at high risk of injury and starvation, in part because their owners do not know how to care for them properly,” said Alejandro Olivera, representative of the Center for Biological Diversity.
The ability for citizens to report wildlife trafficking, that is, the illegal possession or sale of exotic and endangered animals, is not new in Mexico. But the reality is that a lack of enforcement and fear of reprisals remain a factor. This is especially true, as in many cases, the unlicensed commercialization of these animals is perpetrated right under the noses of federal authorities, as is the case at several locations in Cancún, the Riviera Maya, and cenotes in Yucatán.
This also includes locations directly run by the Mexican Armed Forces, like the Parque Del Jaguar in Tulum. When the animal handlers were asked if they had the proper documentation on hand, the enquiry was met with a swift dismissal and an order to stop taking photos and leave.
A clear example is the continued existence of dolphinariums and dolphin shows across the country despite the Mexican Senate and Supreme Court passing a complete ban on them in 2023.
A new Quintana Roo state law was also passed in the summer of 2025, which contains virtually identical language to that of prior legislation. However, whether it will be enforced is another issue.
The new legislation is named after a dolphin named Micho, who died in 2020 after slamming into the concrete walls of his habitat, where the aquatic mammal was forced to perform and swim with tourists. Because this particular incident happened while the theme park Micho was performing at during operating hours, the incident was captured by tourists on their smartphones, sparking controversy and the closure of this particular dolphinarium, as well as a fine of 7.5 million pesos, roughly US$400,000.
“The reality is that in Mexico, money talks louder than the law. Bribes are an everyday occurrence, and it’s not until the demand for these kinds of activities ceases that they will truly become a thing of the past,” said Cancún-based lawyer Raul Ojeda.
The traffic, commercialization, and economic exploitation of endangered species are not limited to species native to Mexico. Several of the most commonly seen animals used for these ends include blue macaws and capuchin monkeys, which hail from Central and South America.
Some of the most commonly trafficked animals in Mexico include reptiles like the beaded lizard, green iguanas, boa constrictors, and the highly sought-after Mexican alligator lizard, as well as birds such as the military macaw, yellow-headed Amazon parrot, red-crowned Amazon, and toucans. Mammals like spider monkeys, ocelots, jaguars, and the Mexican gray wolf are also frequently poached for the pet trade, fur, or traditional medicine, while amphibians like the critically endangered axolotl are illegally sold as exotic pets.
The illegal exotic animal trade is one of the largest black markets in the world, estimated to generate between USD $7 billion and $23 billion annually, according to various reports from organizations like Interpol, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Wildlife Fund.
PROFEPA asks citizens to report via direct message on their social media channels, via email at denuncias@profepa.gob.mx, or by telephone at 01 800 776 33 72.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a journalist, photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway.
