This situation has generated concern among the local population and the authorities.
This year’s fires in the center and south of the State have caused the death of numerous wild animals, which has generated concern among the local population and the Environmental Protection authorities at the state and federal levels.
“The worst thing is that groups of hunters are using and causing these fires to enclose their prey and thus catch them, from felines, deer, wild turkeys, etc.,” said José May Huchín, of the “Selva Maya” association, of the José María Morelos municipality.
He cited that his counterparts dedicated to conserving and protecting the jungle in the municipalities of Othón P. Blanco, Bacalar and Felipe Carrillo Puerto have reported an alarming increase in the number of dead or missing animals due to fires and poachers.
“We have realized this because we work with biologists, conservation institutions, and universities that install tracking chips in some species for monitoring and research. Unfortunately, we have found many of them dead or reduced to ashes,” he said.
He added that on four occasions the chips revealed to us that they were taken to Puebla, where they lost track of them. He clarified that they are poachers who are dedicated to the trafficking of exotic animals.
For his part, Pedro Mahay Caamal, president of the Union of Indigenous Mayan Forest Planters, warned that this situation is a consequence of the severe crisis affecting the Yucatan Peninsula, marked by an alarming increase in forest fires and unprecedented climate change.
“This is the first time in history that I have seen a crisis of this magnitude,” says Mahay Caamal, who remembers having witnessed similar situations during his youth. “When I was 15 years old, we faced a wave of fires on communal lands, and now, sadly, we are being overtaken by this nightmare. I have never seen so many burned trees and animals.”
Mahay Caamal highlights the importance of reforestation as a vital measure to counteract the devastating effects of climate change. “Forest planters have worked tirelessly for two decades to plant trees and restore our forests. Unfortunately, fires have reached these newly planted areas,” he concluded.
TYT Newsroom
