The Secretary of Sustainable Development, Alan Dupré Ramírez, announced that they have already called upon municipal governments to refrain from issuing permits for stalls that offer animals as prizes or use them as entertainment during their patron saint festivals and carnivals.
With the start of carnival season in Morelos, hundreds of vendors set up their stalls at traditional fairs. However, some people choose to offer animals, such as rabbits, chickens, ducks, or cats, as prizes at carnival games.
In addition, there are other businesses whose main attraction is animals, such as those that offer photographs with snakes, owls, or other birds. However, this practice is prohibited in Morelos.
In February 2014, the Morelos Congress approved several reforms to Article 12 of the State Wildlife Law with the aim of prohibiting the use of animals in circuses and fairs. This is specifically established in Article 71 Bis, which stipulates severe penalties, including fines of 1,500 to 2,000 times the minimum daily wage, for those who violate the law.
In this context, Secretary Alan Dupré stated that, in addition to contacting municipalities, several inspections have been carried out at patron saint festivals and carnivals to prevent these practices.
He explained that, during the first carnival of the year, held in the municipality of Jiutepec, vendors using animals in their attractions were removed on four separate occasions, despite having permits issued by municipal authorities.
“Things that violate any law cannot be authorized within carnivals; this is the case with these attractions, in which an animal is given as a prize. It is prohibited under the Wildlife Law,” he stated.
Finally, he asked the municipalities to update their regulations regarding the authorization of stalls, to prevent violations of the law, since these practices cannot be allowed, even if they are part of a tradition.
Source: oem
