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Spanish Man Probed Over Collection of 1,090 Stuffed Animals

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS

Authorities say the man likely illegally procured many items in his rare taxidermy collection.

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A man in Spain with a collection of more than 1,000 rare and endangered taxidermy animals worth more than $31 million is under investigation over how he acquired the creatures. Spain’s Civil Guard said Sunday that 400 of the man’s 1,090 stuffed critters are protected species, including the extinct North African oryx, that should not be in the hands of a private collector. Investigators say they believe he was trading the animals on the black market. Potential criminal charges include trafficking and environmental crimes. The man, who has not been named, kept his beasts in two warehouses north of Valencia.

Read it at Associated Press

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