An unprecedented event has occurred in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, where escalating violence and organized crime have forced the closure of an animal shelter and the relocation of more than 700 animals to a safer location. The Ostok shelter in the city of Culiacan was forced to close due to threats, robberies and extortion attempts by criminal groups.
The animals, which included elephants, lions, tigers, crocodiles, ostriches, monkeys and even hippos, were moved to the city of Mazatlan, about 212 kilometers away, to a place called "Bioparque El Encanto," writes A2 CNN. According to the director of the shelter, Ernesto Zazueta, this is the largest relocation of wild animals in the history of Mexico due to violence.
"We didn't have any problems before, but the situation in Culiacan has deteriorated so much that we couldn't even go to the shelter. They almost forcibly evicted us," Zazueta told CNN.
The decision to close the shelter was made after one of the elephants, named Viki, had a leg problem and no veterinarians agreed to travel to Culiacan to help him due to the high risk.
Zazueta and his team, with the help of volunteers and support organizations, made possible a difficult and historic operation to give the animals a safer haven. (A2 Televizion)
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