Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

These photos show the sick poacher posing with a dead puma after he allegedly broke Mexico’s coronavirus lockdown to illegally hunt the big cats.

The incident took place in the forests of the municipality of Tixkokob, near the archaeological site of Ake, in the southern Mexican state of Yucatan.

According to reports, Vicente Vera Lopez, alias El Chiva, and his family were illegally hunting pumas (Puma concolor) for some days in order to sell the fur of the animals to foreigners.

The villagers in Tixkokob and Calcalchen, a nearby town, asked the environmental authorities to take action against the family as they bragged of killing pumas and were reportedly looking for someone to stuff some of the animals.

Local newspaper Presidio shared photos allegedly showing Lopez man posing with the hunted pumas.

In one of the photos, the hunter can be seen smiling whilst holding up the dead body of a puma by its neck.

Local media report hunting big cats in the area has been made easier in the coronavirus lockdown as the lack of human activity has seen pumas leave the deep forest.

The local authorities have not commented on the case and no arrests have been reported.

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