When we think of animal traders, we imagine a group of mercenaries hunting them at night and putting them in warehouses in faraway countries. However, you don’t need to go that far. It’s on the corner too.

Oftentimes, they are illegal breeders who own one or more breeding pairs and live on them until they blow them up on a breeding basis. Others are clandestine importers who buy them online through both private and illegal forums. The animals come hidden in metal toys, suitcases with sophisticated ventilation systems, or boxes prepared to store them. Obviously, many die during the journeys, but the benefits for those who arrive alive more than make up for the losses.

The math is wrong. A small Gibraltar monkey sold for 3 euros in its country of origin reaches 3000 when sold in Spain. Therefore, they can afford to introduce a hundred people across the border and spend 300 euros on them all, because they already make a lot of money when only one of them comes alive, even if almost all of them die along the way.

Of course, until now I have only explained the origin of the traffic and its arrival in Spain, there would be sales again. The same often happens through acquaintances, in the back rooms of some unscrupulous department store, and above all online.

Private forums, WhatsApp groups and some social networks hidden in the net are often the preferred breeding grounds for these national traders who sell parrots, macaws, spiders, hedgehogs, snakes, monkeys through them. worth it, any animal the market demands.

Therefore, it should be noted that without demand there is no supply. In other words, you can’t sell if you don’t buy. If we truly love animals, let’s stop buying those that come to Spain illegally. Having them in the living room of a house does not protect them.