Saturday was a busy day for the transportation of protected species: in three different states, authorities discovered chameleons, turtles, and baby crocodiles and caimans being transported illegally.

In none of the cases did the animals have accompanying paperwork to show legal acquisition or permission to transport them, all of which are protected species under Mexican law. The animals are now in the custody of the environmental protection agency Profepa.

Authorities found two chameleons and eight turtles at the Querétaro and the San Luis Potosí international airports, respectively. In both cases, the animals were being transported in cardboard boxes through package delivery services with locations at the airports.

In the Querétaro case, the chameleons were found by National Guard dogs trained to sniff out drugs, firearms and cash. According to the package’s paperwork, the reptiles had been shipped from Celaya, Guanajuato, and were destined for Monterrey, Nuevo León.

At San Luis Potosí, eight turtles were discovered wrapped inside socks. The protected species were discovered while guard members were doing routine inspections. The turtles had been sent from Solidaridad, Quintana Roo, and were supposed to be sent on to San Juan del Río, Querétaro.

In Villaflores, Chiapas, about 95 kilometers south of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, federal authorities were alerted by a citizen’s tip to a shipment of 39 crocodiles and caimans being transported stacked on top of each other in a Styrofoam cooler at a taxi dispatching station.

Sources: Milenio (sp)