A Texas couple is now facing allegations of wildlife trafficking after attempting to sell a baby jaguar in a parking lot.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Federal officials have accused Rafael Gutierrez-Galvan, 29, of selling a margay cub for $7,500 in a McAllen Academy Sports and Outdoors parking lot on August 24th. Margays, a small wild cat species native to Central and South America, closely resemble ocelots.
Subsequently, Gutierrez-Galvan arranged to sell a jaguar cub to the same buyer, who turned out to be an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent. He directed his wife, 28-year-old Deyanira Garza, to deliver a case of cash, but a traffic stop thwarted her plans. Both cubs have been recovered and the couple was arrested.
Notably, neither Gutierrez-Galvan nor Garza possessed licenses for trading exotic animals like margays and jaguars, with jaguars also protected under the Endangered Species Act.
If found guilty, the couple could face up to five years in federal prison and a potential $20,000 fine.