Spanish police said Monday that they had arrested two people suspected of selling online exotic cats including protected species such as white tigers and pumas, and had confiscated 19 felines in the operation.
Officers arrested the couple on the island of Majorca, where they are suspected of raising desert lynxes and servals, a wild cat native to Africa, as well as hybrid species created by crossing these breeds with domestic cats, police said in a statement. According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the two suspects arrested are Russian.
Further investigations found that their activities were just “the tip of the iceberg” of an international trafficking operation of protected species such as white tigers and black panthers “involving breeders, transporters and veterinarians,” the Spanish Civil Guard and Interior Ministry said in a news release.
“Most of the animals offered for sale came from countries such as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to be smuggled into the European Union,” they added.
Police suspect the animals were brought into the European Union via Poland from Belarus, and were then offered across the bloc with false documentation.
Among the other species the couple offered for sale on its social media accounts were European lynxes, hyenas and pumas. Officials released several images showing the cats in enclosures and officers collecting evidence.
Police said the suspects had offered a clouded leopard, one of the world’s most rare and elusive cats, at a price of 60,000 euros ($68,000).
Officers also seized a caracal, a desert lynx known for its distinctive long ear tufts, as well as two servals and 16 hybrid felines.
They also seized more than 40 animal passports from Russia, Belarus and China as part of the operation.
Police said that attempts to breed and keep exotic cats as pets are widespread in Russia and Ukraine, and the trend has expanded to other countries.
“These species require a lot of space,” police said. “Furthermore, they are very aggressive and can pose a danger to people or other animals, so many people end up getting rid of these specimens.”
