Spanish police have arrested a couple over the alleged selling of the protected cat species.
According to BBC, the couple from the island of Majorca are accused of selling exotic cats online, including protected species like white tigers, pumas and clouded leopards.
The Civil Guard raided the couple's house and detained them after receiving a report that they were owning and breeding rare feline species and selling them on social media.
They said that the discovery was just "the tip of the iceberg of a plot" of a global criminal organisation of breeders, transporters and vets.
In total, 19 felines were reduced by the agents in the raid, including a caracal, two servals and 16 hybrid felines.
The Civil Guard stated, “Most of the animals offered for sale came from countries such as Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to be smuggled into the European Union.”
As per the authorities, the couple were “extremely active” on social media, and people from different parts of the world contacted them to purchase the exotic animals that were smuggled into the EU through Poland's border with Belarus and were later distributed with false documents.
Notably, as per the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Europe is a central hub for exotic wildlife trade, and the illicit black market is at its peak.
The rescued animals are temporarily placed at the Son Servera Safari Zoo in Majorca, and they will later most probably be relocated to a rescue centre near Alicante.
