Translated by Jesús Ronquillo / Circuito Frontera
In Ciudad Juarez, there are many dark stories about the failures of the criminal justice system. Sometimes, it seems that people with serious crimes are simply exonerated, while others with lesser offenses, but without the resources for an adequate defense, pay for the former.
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More than 16 years ago in this town, an example of the above could be seen in the public opinion that showed that “real criminals” are not the target of justice.
Adopting or moving animals from natural sites is a practice that experts point out as risky.8 Depending on the specimen, the risks involve health problems, but also legal ones, of which many people are not aware.
Manuel Cadena Villalobos, a man whose life was shaken by the threat of jail for the simple fact of having taken a turtle while fishing in the Rio Bravo, found this out too late.
On Wednesday, August 27, 2008, Manuel, then 35 years old and who worked as a waiter in a local bar, was fishing in the Rio Bravo, which was very close to his home in the Altavista neighborhood.
The man lived with his mother, Mrs. María de Jesús Villalobos Sánchez, who described him as a person who always had a great curiosity and love for nature.
Manuel was in the stream that afternoon when he suddenly discovered a curious, very large turtle, which he thought was very beautiful.
Without thinking about it and surprised by the size of the animal, he decided to take it to his work and show it to his colleagues.
However, while walking down the street he ran into members of the Municipal Police, who questioned him about the animal and informed him that he would have to be taken before the authorities for the crime of possession of wildlife.
His first statements after the events were recorded in the media, in which he said that when he was notified of this, he was put in jail, without being given details about his legal situation and without being allowed to communicate with his family or loved ones.
At the time, the man expressed that his intention was not to harm the turtle or keep it in his house, he just wanted to show it to his friends and then return it.
In addition, in the territory of the stream there is no notice alerting visitors to the presence of animals like this one and the prohibition of taking them.
It was a protected species, an Apalone turtle. According to Wikipedia, this species is characterized by a rough and light-colored carapace, although the latter sometimes varies, it can turn yellow or with small spots or shades.
Females can measure up to 50 centimeters, and males up to 25 centimeters. Their nose is shaped like a trunk and they have a long neck that allows them to breathe without having to move from the bottom of the water. But it is also in danger of extinction, being the Rio Bravo its natural habitat.
At the time of his stay inside the then Social Rehabilitation Center (CERESO), Manuel’s main concern was that he had been fined 23,000 pesos.
He had also left his mother alone and feared that he would never get a job again, establishing this as a criminal record on his résumé.
The case provoked the indignation of the people of Juarez, and even, led by the family, they held a demonstration with masks of the Ninja Turtles characters.
The protesters marched from the Cathedral to the City Hall in order to call the attention of the then mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Jose Reyes Ferriz.
The purpose was that the mayor intercede for Manuel, because he had acted without malice and the situation was laughable, after the fact that just in those years, impunity and violence in the community were exacerbating. The mayor ignored them.
After the intercession of a lawyer who offered to defend him and the economic collaboration of the Telmex Foundation, as well as pressure from the media, the man managed to get out of jail with a clean record after 28 days in prison.
Something curious in this case is that according to journalistic archives, a few weeks after the discovery of this turtle, other specimens were found in unoccupied land in Hacienda de las Torres, far away from the Rio Bravo.
However, after learning what had happened to Manuel, those who found them did not take them and informed the authorities as soon as possible, fearing legal reprisals.
On that occasion they were two turtles, 40 and 50 centimeters each, found by neighbors of the sector.
The anecdote remained in the memory of the Juarense population, which is why this case is sometimes joked about, but a lesson was also learned: Do not take turtles out of the Río Bravo.
