SEM-26-008
Captive Animal Control Incident
The Secretariat began reviewing the submission under Articles 24.27(2) and (3) of the USMCA.
Status: Open
Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:
The Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws with respect to the oversight and inspection of a Wildlife Management Premises and Facility (Predio e Instalación que Maneja Vida Silvestre—PIMVS), as well as compliance with technical protocols and risk management during the operation to capture a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) after it escaped from a wildlife management facility located in Tepetlaoxtoc, State of Mexico.
According to the submission, the capture operation—during which the Bengal tiger died—and the circumstances surrounding the incident allegedly demonstrate a lack of adequate protocols for the management of wildlife held in custody and of preventive measures, particularly on the part of the PIMVS. The Submitter also points to irregularities that were not detected in a timely manner by the authorities and to the lack of inspections and oversight of the PIMVS in question.
Names and citations of the environmental laws in question:
The Submitter bases their assertions on the General Act on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente), the General Wildlife Act (Ley General de Vida Silvestre), the Regulations to the General Wildlife Act (Reglamento de la Ley General de Vida Silvestre), as well as the “federal provisions applicable to the management, inspection, and oversight of Wildlife Management Premises and Facilities.”
Submitter(s):
Name withheld pursuant to Article 16(1)(a) of the ECA
Submission Timeline
Submission Timeline
The Secretariat began reviewing the submission under Articles 24.27(2) and (3) of the USMCA.
Submission - Submission authored by Submitter(s) on 06/07/2026
Acknowledgement - Communication to Submitter(s) authored by Submitter(s) on 07/07/2026