Court Halts Capybara Relocation in Nordelta

Buenos Aires, January 16 (NA) -- The conflict over capybaras in Nordelta has taken a new turn, and this time the Chamber of Administrative Litigation in San Martín upheld the appeal of the Callejero Casa Quiere association and ruled: "The relocation was a premature and irrational act." According to the Argentine News Agency and as indicated by Silvia Soto, a member of the group "La voz de los carpinchos", magistrates Jorge Augusto Saulquin and Luciano Enrici prohibited "any further relocation of capybaras until the cumulative environmental impact study is completed." The judicial representatives enabled the judicial recess, and within the framework of this analysis, they requested "the report of the pilot test carried out by the implementing authority and the intervening specialists." This step reversed the decision of the judge who authorized the transfer of the specimens, a decision contrary to a first precautionary measure that prohibited removing them from their natural area. Regarding the specimens that were already relocated, it was considered a "serious error" and they emphasized that "they are protected fauna in the province of Buenos Aires", so any measure that involves removing them from their natural area must be "exceptional and justified." In the early morning of January 13, the conflict reached a climax when six capybaras were removed after they would have been sedated and placed in cages, which caused indignation among neighbors and environmental associations. The conflict arose due to herds living in an area of vehicle circulation with a maximum permitted speed of 60 kilometers per hour, which led to an operation initiated on the morning of Monday, January 12. However, that deployment with traps did not yield results and was not well received by the protectors, who had agreed that the animals would be removed with witnesses or observers who, in addition, had to be aware of the destination of the capybaras. However, the same protectors denounced and recorded the extraction of 3 females and 3 males who would have been loaded into cages in the morning, after possible sedations with darts, although there is no official data because the observers were not in the place.