Mexico Seized 17,662 Live Wild Animals Across 579 Species

Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection confiscated 17,662 live wild animals representing 579 identified species between January 2012 and June 2023, according to an analysis of official records obtained through the country’s transparency platform. Birds accounted for nearly half of the animals, reptiles for slightly more than a third, and mammals for about 7 percent. The seizures involved mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, insects, arachnids and other marine invertebrates, revealing the extraordinary taxonomic diversity of the illegal wildlife trade documented by authorities. The study did not measure the full scale of trafficking: it counted animals seized specifically by PROFEPA and therefore captured only a fraction of those captured, traded or otherwise used illegally.

The records reveal that wildlife seizures occurred in all 32 Mexican states. Mexico City accounted for 5,132 animals, or about 29 percent of the national total, followed by Oaxaca with 1,634, Morelos with 1,359, Veracruz with 1,200 and Yucatán with 1,116. The five states with the fewest recorded seizures were Nayarit, Zacatecas, Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Sonora. These rankings cannot be interpreted simply as maps of where trafficking is most intense. They may also reflect differences in inspection activity, reporting practices, access to markets, the size and biodiversity of local wildlife populations, and the routes by which animals move through Mexico.

Birds were the most frequently seized group, with 8,382 individuals from 270 identified species, 47.46 percent of the total. Passeriformes, which includes sparrows, cardinals and orioles, led the major taxonomic orders with 4,300 animals. Parrots and their relatives formed another major group, accounting for 2,866 birds across 61 species, while 2,752 individuals belonged to the parrot family Psittacidae. The red-eared slider, identified as Trachemys scripta elegans, was the most frequently recorded species, with 1,497 animals. Other prominent taxa included the green parakeet Aratinga canicularis, with 1,099 individuals, and the iguana taxon Iguana, with 797.

Reptiles were the second-largest category, with 6,044 animals and 160 identified species. Turtles accounted for 3,422 seizures, and 2,495 reptiles belonged to the family Emydidae. Mammals accounted for 1,244 individuals from 90 identified species. Non-human primates were a particularly serious component of the total, with 174 animals from 11 species, including 117 Geoffroy’s spider monkeys. The seized mammals also included 225 members of the cat family, among them 72 tigers, 40 lions, 22 jaguars, 16 pumas and two leopards. Fish numbered 570 animals, and 87 percent were identified as totoaba, an endemic species from the Gulf of California whose swim bladders command high prices in Asian markets.

The conservation profile of the seized species is particularly concerning. Among 418 species native to Mexico, 81 were endemic and 15 were introduced. A total of 252 native species, representing 60.3 percent, fell within a national risk category under Mexico’s NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 regulation, while 76 species, or 18.2 percent of those present in the country, were on the national priority conservation list. Of the 579 identified species overall, 93 were classified as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Another 291, or 50.25 percent, appeared in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, including 46 listed in Appendix I and 202 in Appendix II.

PROFEPA recorded 25 possible destinations for the confiscated animals. The largest category was not a sanctuary, zoo or conservation center, but the private residence where the seizure occurred, which received 7,071 animals, or 40 percent of the total. Another 3,217 were retained by PROFEPA, and 1,799 were assigned to destruction or release. Donations accounted for 1,514 animals, wildlife management units for 1,034 and zoos for 762. Such outcomes raise practical questions about custody, welfare, traceability and whether confiscated animals can legally and safely re-enter commerce. Federal wildlife centers have reported that relocation or transfer accounted for 45.1 percent of admissions, death for 41.5 percent and successful release for only 11.4 percent, while budget and staffing reductions have weakened care and rehabilitation systems.

The apparent collapse in seizures over time is one of the dataset’s most striking features. Annual numbers peaked in 2013, fell by 97 percent in 2022 and were 99 percent lower in the first half of 2023 than in 2013. That trend should not be interpreted as proof that illegal wildlife use nearly disappeared. Seizures depend on enforcement capacity, and a lack of recorded activity can also indicate fewer inspections, limited institutional resources or deteriorating governance. PROFEPA’s inflation-adjusted budget fell by 53.34 percent between 2012 and 2023, while environmental agencies received only about 5 percent of the federal environmental budget. Staff shortages, high turnover, long travel distances and the country’s large territorial area further constrain the agency’s ability to investigate violations and care for confiscated animals.

The dataset also illustrates why official figures must be interpreted alongside the work of other agencies. In November 2020, a joint operation involving Mexico’s National Guard, PROFEPA and the Attorney General’s Office discovered 15,785 live wildlife specimens at two homes in Mexico City. PROFEPA identified the animals and issued technical documentation, but the seizure itself was carried out by National Guard units under search warrants in a criminal investigation. The single operation represented 89.4 percent of all live animals recorded by PROFEPA during the study period, demonstrating that seizures made by other authorities, combined with informal information, can greatly exceed the agency’s own enforcement totals. PROFEPA can impose administrative sanctions and serves as Mexico’s CITES enforcement authority, but it cannot prosecute environmental crimes.

Illegal wildlife use in Mexico is driven by several interconnected markets. Domestic demand includes pets, food, traditional medicine, rituals, amulets and crafts, while international demand extends to the United States, Europe and China. One hundred and sixty-one seized species, 28 percent of those identified, have ranges outside Mexico, indicating that the country functions not only as a source of native wildlife but also as a transit hub for imported, re-exported and re-imported animals. Networks can involve collectors, transporters, traders, consumers and complicit officials, with corruption potentially enabling patrols to be evaded, permits to be obtained, animals to cross borders and proceeds to be laundered. The study’s authors therefore call for stronger laws, more resources and inspectors, expanded seizure operations, transparent databases and closer international cooperation. Their central warning is that the official record is already alarming, but it is not a measure of the full traffic: for every animal PROFEPA confiscates, many others remain outside the dataset.

Subject of Research: Analysis of PROFEPA records on live wildlife seizures in Mexico from 2012 to 2023

Article Title: Evaluation of seizures of live wild animals in Mexico

Article References: Frías-Álvarez, P., & Ortiz-Millán, G. (2025). Evaluation of seizures of live wild animals in Mexico. Nature Conservation, 59, 231-255. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.59.153452

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.59.153452

Keywords: wildlife trafficking, Mexico, PROFEPA, wildlife seizures, biodiversity, illegal trade, conservation status, animal welfare, wildlife enforcement, CITES, Evaluation, seizures