The man seen in a video abusing and eventually killing a caiman in Aranguez, San Juan, has been arrested.
He was yesterday located by members of the El Socorro Centre for Wildlife Conservation (ECWC), who felt the man needed to be held accountable for his actions.
Founder Ricardo Meade said the centre received numerous calls from hurt people about the incident and decided to do something about it.
“Evil thrives when good people do nothing,” Meade said.
It is illegal to capture, harm, or kill game animals outside of the hunting season.
And according to the amended Animals (Disease and Importation) Act, at Chap.67:02 (assented to on July 3, 2020) section 18 A, “Any person who cruelly beats, ill-treats, starves, overdrives, overrides, overloads, abuses, tortures, neglects or otherwise maltreats any animal commits an offence of $200,000 fine and imprisonment for a term of 5 years on summary conviction.”
Meade said they started their search for the man at Boundary Road in El Socorro and Aranguez Main Road. He said he stopped by one of the stores in the background of the video and the man was sitting by a bar. He said he called the police and within 10 minutes they arrived.
Meade said the man said he was attempting to save the caiman from getting bounced.
The officers explained to him that he had committed an offence and took him to the Barataria Police Station.
Meade said he hopes the public can draw some level of assurance that there are laws to protect animals from cruelty and abuse. He said the police’s quick response also showed there are police officers who will step up and not let evil prevail. CL
