Uruguay exported 15 capybaras (male and female) to Taiwan. The animals, coming from a farm located in Maldonado, called Los Capibaras, will be used as pets, he informed The Observer Martín Altuna, director of the Health Division of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP).
Sandra Acosta, in charge of International Trade of that division, explained that this is not the first time that an export of this type has been carried out, given that animals have already been sent to China and Thailand before, and that the specimens are generally traded to live in reserves. The Los Capibaras company, the only one to export these animals in the country so far, started its export business three years ago, informed Walter Cabrera, owner of the place.
The capybaras, who left Uruguay this Tuesday, travel by plane and are expected to be in transit for two days. Throughout the journey and to comply with international animal welfare standards, each one travels in a wooden cage, with food and water, in addition, they wear diapersAcosta explained.
They will make several stops before arriving in Taiwan, in each one they will be taken out of the cage to walk and at the destination they will be waiting for them with swimming pools, he explained.
MGAP
The animals travel in individual wooden cages.
“They travel very well, they are very rustic animals”commented the manager.
Before boarding, members of the MGAP together with technicians from the Ministry of the Environment certified the status of the specimens when they arrived at the Carrasco Airport. The animals were certified by both ministries as being a protected species within the framework of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
non-traditional market
From the MGAP they expressed that “this shipment represents a non-traditional export”.
In the last export, which was also carried out by the Fernandino hatchery, 20 animals were sent. Acosta indicated that those in charge of Los Capibara “are very experienced people, and the animals have always been exported with great success.”
The value at which each copy was sold was not shared by the company.
To carry out the export, the farm must comply with several international regulations, for example, the animals cannot be captured from the wild, but must be bred in captivity.
Acosta assured that although it is not the most traditional, this is a market that is open for Uruguayand the destinations that show the most interest are Taiwan, Thailand and China.
The animals were sent with an identification microchip, for their transport and possession, the same, which “is as small as a grain of rice”, according to the farm’s website, its use is suggested by the company for example so that the animals are not exchanged for others. The microchips are impossible to remove, so they provide a guarantee to both the hatchery and the buyers, it was indicated.
MGAP
The capybaras will travel two days to Taiwan.
