Mexico: Narco-pets, exotic animals owned by captured drug lords, are flooding zoos

"As Mexican authorities capture a growing number of drug gang leaders, many of their pets are being driven from their gilded cages into more modest housing in the country's zoos. That's proving to be overwhelming for some institutions."

Associated Press video on YouTube: Narco-pets Overwhelm Mexico's Zoos.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Hooray for zoo life!
- http://twitter.com/Noadi Sheryl
  
  Zoo life is certainly worse than life in the wild but it is life. Exactly how long do you think a declawed, defanged, big cat who was raised in captivity would survive? The options here are zoo or euthanasia.
  - ZooPuma
    
    Dear Sheryl,
    
    You’re forgetting some other options! See, as I lie on straw-covered concrete and count the various methods of euthanasia just as you humans count sheep, many of my big-cat brethren who are the guests of these “narco traffickers” are the envy of the puma diaspora.
    
    For instance, while I am in my enclosure being fed tranquilizer-laced soy pellets, these “yayo lions” are busy deciding whether to continue taking in the view from their palatial narco-villa, or if they should amble on down to the holding cells and dine on some police informant, rival businessman, or blogger.
    
    Also, Sheryl, I should mention that I am neither declawed nor defanged? I mean, who would pay to see a defanged puma? It’s all about the fangs, Sheryl.
    
    So, until the synthetic animal rug market really takes off (option 3), do me a favor and imagine staying in your living room for 6 straight years, shitting on your rug as pumas wandered your hallway thinking about what a fascinating species you are. That’s where I live, Sheryl, fangs, claws and all. What were the first two options again?
    
    “Life goes on, long after the thrill of livin’ is gone” – John Cougar Mellencamp
    
    Warm Regards,
    
    Zoo Puma
jtegnell

Just add this to the list of reasons why drug prohibition isn’t working.
jay sanchez

aaaand.. those are the lucky ones, many others are left on abandoned narco-villas/manors to die of starvation, seen it a few times already and there isnt much people can do when the army is guarding the building in question.