Cruelty and animal abuse know no borders. The Ostok Sanctuary in Culiacán, northwest Mexico, was forced to move around 700 animals to Mazatlán due to the violence in the region resulting from clashes between criminal groups, which complicated the refuge’s work.
According to sanctuary authorities, the directors made the decision to relocate elephants, tigers, giraffes, crocodiles, antelopes, monkeys, and other animals after receiving various threats, extortions, and even thefts that made it impossible to continue their noble task of protecting the animals in the refuge.
An example of this was what happened to a rescued elephant that fell ill and could not receive proper care. The reason? Fear. In this regard, the sanctuary’s team stated that the veterinarians they contacted refused to treat her out of fear of going there.
The roads blocked by criminal groups that, on more than one occasion, prevented access to the sanctuary so that refuge members could reach it to feed the animals, were another reason why the refuge decided to leave in search of a better life.
The biopark that will become their new home away from violence
Faced with this situation, the sanctuary team and volunteers joined forces with different organizations to carry out the transfer to El Encanto Biopark, located in the port of Mazatlán, to the south of the state.
According to refuge authorities, the most important aspect of this move is to ensure that both the animals and their families are safe.
It’s not about fleeing, but about caring
In the face of criminal violence in Mexico, the relocation does not mean they are fleeing, but rather an act of resistance and love for the animals. From their point of view, the move is a way to show that they do not accept that violence also reaches and affects animals.
During the transfer, priority was given to the larger species and those animals with higher stress levels due to the complexity of the journey and the risks associated with their transport.
As this is the largest relocation of wildlife carried out in Mexico, worsened by the circumstances of armed violence, it is believed that the operation will last at least a month and a half, while the future of the Culiacán sanctuary is decided.
