A woman and three men, their faces hidden behind hats and masks, hold two hand-sized Moroccan sabaneros (Chelonoides carbonaria) inside twenty red plastic boxes, similar to those used to transport and store vegetables in markets. The image, taken in July 2020, shows a backdrop of dense tropical foliage and is accompanied by an announcement for the release of 950 land turtles in the Las Caribes sector of the former municipality of Jerez – today, Angostura del Orinoco in the state of Bolivar. Close to the capital Ciudad Bolivar.
By Lizeth Boon and Marcos David Valverde Armando information
With representatives from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (Minec), and members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) with the seal of the Environmental Guard, representatives of the Orinoco Reptiles CA in the zoo responsible for reproduction and the protection of the Moroccan Sabaneros were reintroduced that day in their natural habitat.
The company's public appearance has helped to recognize its work in the conservation and rescue of fauna, which by law must be accomplished by zoos, farms and aquariums authorized by MINEC in Venezuela. However, in the same year, Orinoco Reptiles exported 14,136 Sabanero Moroccans to four continents, according to foreign trade sites Importgenius, Panjiva and 52wmb.
Although the Orinoco reptile disappeared from the environmental news after that good news, global statistics show that the company continues to operate. According to online records, the farm sold tens of thousands of gopher tortoises to foreign customers under the guise of its specific mission. The fauna that travels in its exports is as exotic as the markets to which it sends. Between 2010 and 2023, more than 200,000 live Moroccan sabaneros have been exported to countries such as the United States, Panama, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, El Salvador and the Gambia. According to 52wmb, for example, between 2002 and 2023, it would have sent about 44.2 thousand Moroccans in 14 deliveries to Gambia, Costa Rica and China alone.
More details at Armando.info
