Benito will get a new house. This was announced by the Governor of Puebla, Sergio Salomón, on his social networks, in which he assured that the head of the Federal Prosecutor's Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa), Blanca Alicia Mendoza Vera, had confirmed the transfer of the giraffe to the Africam Safari animal center. This decision ends eight months of controversy and the last days of outrage from citizens over the danger that the animal suffered by surviving the severe frosts in Chihuahua.
The Save Benito organization is celebrating. The tireless struggle of a group of neighbors has produced results: the African giraffe that arrived in Ciudad Juárez's Central Park on May 3 finally leaves this public space without the status of a zoo, where it has survived the extreme heat and the cold below zero, the lack of surveillance and medical care. This citizens' group, which was formed practically since the animal's arrival in the border town, used indirect protection to get a judge to order Benito's transfer last week, but the federal bureaucracy blocked the process.
The governor of the state of Puebla, Sergio Salomón, on December 14th. Mireya Novo (Cuartoscuro)
Profepa has still not officially announced that the animal is heading to Puebla. In one of his last statements, he stated that in addition to Africam Safari, Altiplano (Tlaxcala), Santuaai (Querétaro) and Zacango (State of Mexico) had also offered to receive Benito. It was Salomón who announced that Puebla was the chosen destination: “I am very happy to announce that I have just had a call with the head of Profepa, Blanca Mendoza, who confirmed to me that Puebla is the new will be the home of the giraffe Benito.” . Africam Safari has already been notified by this federal agency, so I can tell you it is official. I have instructed the Minister of Environment to constantly coordinate with Africam the transfer of Benito and his arrival in our state. We will be vigilant about the well-being of our new friend at all times. Hello Benito, Puebla is now your home. See you soon”.
For its part, Africam Safari has already sent wildlife management experts to Juárez to check Benito's condition. “We need to see his physical condition to see if he can overcome the transfer, and his mental condition, because giraffes are very sociable, they need to be together in large numbers, and this giraffe has been alone for a long time.” We need to make sure that she is psychologically capable of integrating into a family. “I'm sure it will happen, but it will take a while,” said Frank Camacho, park director.
The animal center, which is covering the cost of the trip, is still preparing the plan to get Benito from the border town to Puebla, more than 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) apart. Camacho explained that they are still evaluating how the transfer will be carried out: “We have transported more than 50 giraffes and never anesthetized one because it involves risks and was not necessary, we did it with positive reinforcement so that the Giraffe.” enters the container voluntarily. “Because these are special containers designed for each giraffe, it was important for the team to determine the exact age and size in two positions: crouched and upright.” When? “We don’t know because it’s not up to us. “It’s going to come down to the giraffe because we’re not going to tie her up and put her in a box.”
Benito's story reflects the failures suffered by animals in Mexico. The organization Anima Naturalis points out that the country has the highest number of cases of abuse in all of Latin America and more than 60,000 animals die from violence every year. For months, Save Benito has reflected the giraffe's suffering every day. “Change in coat color, weight loss, OCD; “Skin infections (due to contact with feces), stomach infections due to improper diet (food in a state of putrefaction)” are some of the harms included in the federal protection. Profepa also acknowledged the lack of attention to the specimen, but so far the giraffe is still there.
In January 2021, a baby giraffe will be fed at Africam Safari in Puebla. Mireya Novo (Cuartoscuro)
Furthermore, Benito has become the subject of a battle between institutions. On the one hand, the federal agency of the Government of Chihuahua accuses PAN member María Eugenia Campos of bringing the giraffe to the central park without “authorization” and of not complying with the adaptations that it had to make to the habitat in order to lead a dignified life. animal and does not even require its transfer. For these reasons, the federal authority fined the state government P1.5 million for “endangering Benito’s life.”
On the other hand, the Chihuahua administration confirms that Benito arrived with the consent of Profepa, who confirmed during his visits that everything was fine and that they were the ones who did not want to let the giraffe go. The suffering of an animal that neighbors had rescued from the clutches of abuse and bureaucracy was left in the middle.
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