Throughout these past years, Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation (BJWT) leaded by Eduardo Serio, was established with the purpose of welcoming big felines such as tigers, jaguars, cougars, leopards and lions that came from circuses or seizes made to organized crime by authorities, or just from people who did not want or was not able to keep them anymore.
BJWT was registered in the Sistema de Administración Tributaria SAT (the Mexican IRS) as a Foundation with the intention of being able to receive donations both national and international. Throughout the years, it has received huge amounts of money from celebrities, artists, sports stars and influencers, as well as corporations and brands known all over the world. The only purpose of these donations is to provide the best conditions for the animals, which translates as enough food, vet care and suitable spaces for each species. It must be acknowledged that BJWT has never been part of any International Sanctuary Association, even though it has claimed that title.
Since 2018, we expressed concern for the high number of big felines sheltered in BJWT, due to evident overcrowding, which compromised the conditions of animal welfare. That’s why we requested to the Government Federal Secretary of Environment (SEMARNAT) all the information regarding this, which turned out in awareness that BJWT is not a Foundation, and it was in fact registered in the General Secretary of Wild Life, as a property or site of wild life operation, (known as PIMVS for its acronym in Spanish), under the name of Black Jaguar White Tiger Great Mexican Sanctuary, registration number DGVS-PIMVS-CR-IN-1745-DF/15. It must be noted that the General Law of Wild Life defines these sites as intensive breeding sites that handle wild life with the intention of species controlled reproduction. This is, however, an abnormal situation for a site to call itself a “sanctuary”. Subsequently, BJWT announced the expansion of its operation, to nearby sites, which have no permission or are registered in SEMARNAT in any way.
We came to considered time after time that BJWT´s advertising in social media has been harmful to animals, because showing these creatures as companion animals, just like BJWT´s director does, has increased the interest in acquiring these species from citizens, both inside and outside the law, encouraging species trafficking.
The facts shown to the public regarding the situation of animals in BJTW are not an isolated case, unfortunately this situation happens in many other PIMVS or UMAS registered in SEMARNAT, as the animals´ abusive conditions have been reported on social media and other cases of animal cruelty.
However, situations like this in BJWT and many other similar places, are not the cause of the problem itself, but the effect. The true cause behind this situation is a legislation that is inadequate and obsolete, as well as the lack of public policies and government will, that has been a problem for decades regarding wildlife, and it´s only been aggravated lately due to budget cuts and dismissals in concerning dependencies.
We are worried about where the animals who live in BJWT will be sheltered for their needed attention and we urge the Specialized in Investigation of Crimes Against the Environment and Special Law Unit (UEIDAPLE) part of the Republic General Prosecution (FGR) and specially the General Justice Prosecution department of Mexico City, to prosecute the crimes of abuse and animal cruelty and to investigate on the SAT (The Mexican IRS) regarding the use of funds and donations received, due to possible fraud.
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