Former Mexican zoo director killed by cooking 4 goats for Christmas party

MEXICO CITY – According to authorities, a former director of a zoo in southern Mexico killed four zoo pygmy goats and treated them to a Christmas party.

José Rubén Nava was replaced as director of the local zoo in the city of Chilpancingo on January 12 following the death of a deer there.

But officials said on Tuesday an investigation found that some of the animals in the zoo’s collection were allegedly sold, traded or eaten on Nava’s orders.

The state Department of Environmental Protection said the zebra was being traded for tools, while deer and cattle were being sold to private individuals without proper accounting.

It was not clear if Nava was formally charged in this case or if he had a lawyer.

But the most shocking accusation was made by Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez, director of wildlife conservation at the state’s Department of the Environment. He said Nava ordered the zoo’s four pygmy male goats to be killed and cooked for a year-end banquet.

“These four animals were slaughtered and cooked on the zoo grounds and served as food at the end of the year party,” said Ruiz Gutierrez.

“It endangered the health of the people who ate them because these animals were not fit for human consumption,” he said.

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Nava also allegedly traded a zebra at the zoo for some tools needed to repair things at the zoo, but the inspection found no such tools at the facility.

Mexico has long had a problem with individuals illegally acquiring exotic animals. For years, drug dealers in Mexico have been known to build private menageries with lions, tigers, and other wildlife. Sometimes they run away, causing panic.

State police said that in the central city of Aguascalientes, a free lion attacked a woman in her patio and seriously injured her. The lion apparently escaped from the house next door. The woman was hospitalized with injuries to her legs, skull and lung.

The lion also attacked two dogs and a cat. He was caught on Tuesday and sent to the local zoo.