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Pet kidnappings: Fine-tuning crime in troubled Mexico
Apr 12, 2011, 17:42 GMT
Mexico City - 'Lost dog' signs are a feature of most towns and cities. In crime-plagued Mexico, the chance to claim a reward for a pet has given rise to a new form of kidnapping.
Xmat, a Chihuahua dog, went missing a few days ago. Owner Ivonne Ortega, governor of the Mexican state of Yucatan, promised a reward for the animal's return, and she created a Twitter hash tag for the effort.
While there is no indication so far that Ortega's dog may have been kidnapped, the Mexican daily Excelsior reported Tuesday that 240 purebred pets have gone missing so far this year in the Yucatan capital Merida. Ten per cent of these are believed to have been kidnapped, or stolen, the report says.
'Unfortunately, in this case the kidnappers do not get in touch with the owner. They just wait for the reward to be publicized, and rewards are increasingly generous, especially if the pets belong to wealthy people,' dog breeder Jorge Canto Urena told Excelsior.
In Yucatan, he stressed, pet kidnappings have increased by 50 per cent in the past 20 years. Fox terrier, Maltese, schnauzer and Chihuahua dogs are the ones most likely to be stolen for ransom.
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