Zoo employees want to be careful, and have a four- to five-month transition period to make sure first that the baby is healthy, then will be able to socialize and be accepted within its population of eight other gorillas. Over the years, 48 gorillas have been successfully born live at Cincinnati.Įvans said the Columbus Zoo in Ohio has been a global pioneer in taking gorilla babies in need of surrogates from other zoos, but this is a first for Cincinnati. The zoos agreed it was best to move her to Cincinnati, where two experienced mother gorillas are available to serve as surrogates. Zoo employees Jerry and Cindy Stones - the baby was named Gladys Stones on Friday - bottle-fed and cared for her there. 29 to a first-time mother who showed little maternal instinct. She came from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, where she was born Jan. He's heading a team of seven to 10 people who work in shifts of eight hours or so to provide the baby with 24-hour companionship. If convicted on the drug conspiracy charge, Reyes faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison."Whatever a gorilla mom would do with her baby is what we have to do with this baby," said Ron Evans, the zoo's primate team leader and one of Gladys' human surrogates. He’s also charged with one count of violating the Endangered Species Act for “unlawfully taking, by harassing or harming,” the jaguar. Reyes is charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of possession in the drug case. Reyes was “found in Mexico, and deported to the United States through Tijuana,” according to the motion, which doesn’t explain how the government located him. Pedro Ramirez, a special agent with the Criminal Investigation division of the IRS, testified about the trip during a hearing on May 3. The government obtained a photo of them together at the airport in Monterrey. In April, however, Resendez-Garza met with Reyes in Monterrey and Cancun. Reyes left his girlfriend, Liliana Resendez-Garza, and their children behind in Mission. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Reyes apparently fled to Mexico after the government started making arrests, according to a motion filed by the U.S. The Gladys Porter Zoo, which received the jaguar, also declined to comment. In April 2021, according to the indictment against him, Reyes acquired a five-week-old female jaguar “intended for sacrifice.”Īsked about the incident, the Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed a “young jaguar” had been confiscated “near the Brownsville Port of Entry” but declined to release any details. Fish and Wildlife Service also investigated Reyes for violating the Endangered Species Act. According to the indictment, Reyes also smuggled marijuana, including a nearly 1,500 pound shipment in November 2020. Reyes mailed cocaine from McAllen to “northern U.S. Prosecutors brought charges against 25 people, including Garza’s wife, Melissa, the former city secretary for Rio Grande City and former Starr County Justice of the Peace Roel “Role” Valadez Jr. The case against Reyes is part of “ Operation Ice River,” which targeted a drug trafficking organization allegedly headed by Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, 51, of Rio Grande City. It is home to three generations of gorillas, Komodo dragons, rhinos. Reyes believed ritual sacrifices would protect drug shipments from law enforcement, Zaruba said, adding that agents heard people discuss the quasi-religious ceremonies on wiretaps.Īttorney Joel Furman of Tustin, California, who represented Reyes, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Welcome to the Gladys Porter Zoos YouTube channel The Zoo is a subtropical oasis comprised of a diverse ensemble of animals. “Before a narcotic load would be brought from, for example, from McAllen to San Antonio or Austin or other locations that we’ve learned from our investigation, they would do these rituals,” Zaruba said. Reyes also participated in quasi-religious ceremonies that involved animal sacrifice. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Patrick Zaruba, who testified about the drug trafficking organization during a hearing on May 9. Reyes recruited drivers to transport drug shipments, according to U.S. Hector Reyes, a man in his mid-30s from Rio Grande City, is charged with smuggling drugs and violating the federal Endangered Species Act. A man accused of sacrificing animals to “bless” drug shipments was arrested in Mexico last month.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |