# Costa Rica Trains 150 Officials to Care for Seized Wildlife > Humane World for Animals Costa Rica and the country's National Environmental Security Commission said on April 16, 2026, that 150 officials from police, customs, prosecutors, the postal service and the environment ministry had completed workshops on safely handling wild animals rescued or seized from traffickers. The U.S.-funded training, backed by specialists from Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, covers humane handling, responder safety, equipment and basic wildlife first aid. Source: https://pura-verde.com/news/rescued-wildlife-care-training/ Last checked: 2026-10-31 Wild animals seized from traffickers have often been through captivity, stress and rough treatment, and the police, customs and postal workers who find them usually aren't vets. In April 2026, Costa Rica moved to close that gap. [Humane World for Animals Costa Rica](https://www.humaneworld.org/costa-rica/en/news/costa-rican-authorities-trained-handling-wildlife) and the National Environmental Security Commission said on April 16 that 150 officials had completed workshops on handling wild animals rescued or seized in trafficking cases. [The Tico Times reported](https://ticotimes.net/2026/04/17/costa-rica-authorities-train-to-better-handle-rescued-and-seized-wildlife) the training the next day. ## Who took part and what they learned The commission brings together the Public Ministry (the national prosecutor's office), the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE). Participants came from a wide range of front-line agencies: the Fuerza Pública police, Border Police, Tourist Police, Coast Guard, Air Surveillance Service, MINAE, the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), OIJ, prosecutors, Customs and Correos de Costa Rica, the national postal service. The workshops covered: - safe, humane handling of wild animals - protecting both the animals and the officers handling them - using specialized capture and transport equipment - basic first aid for wildlife Specialists from [Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center](https://rescatewildlife.org/), the Alajuela nonprofit formerly known as Zoo Ave, helped teach the sessions. Our [guide to wildlife rescue centers](/wildlife-rescue-centers-costa-rica/) explains how Rescate went from roadside zoo to release programs. The center says it takes in more than 3,000 injured or orphaned wild animals a year. Tatiana Hurtado, a Fuerza Pública officer, said the training matters because "we face these situations daily," according to the Humane World release. She said her unit in the Northern region has responded to cases involving iguanas, toucans and sloths. ## Why handling matters after a seizure A seizure is only the first step. Andrea Borel, executive director of Humane World for Animals Costa Rica, said that when authorities stop these crimes, "it is vital that they know how to properly handle confiscated animals." Poor handling can injure or kill an animal that's already weakened, and it can expose officers to bites, scratches or disease. Olman Mora Navarro, MINAE's environmental comptroller, said in the release that stronger technical knowledge improves officers' ability to recognize environmental crimes and makes interventions safer and legally sound. Good handling doesn't guarantee a happy ending. Many trafficked animals arrive malnourished or hurt, and only some can eventually be released. Training gives them a better chance of reaching an authorized rescue center alive, where vets decide what's possible. ## How big is Costa Rica's wildlife trafficking problem? The release cites an estimate that more than 1,000 wild animals are taken illegally from their habitats in Costa Rica each year for international trafficking, the pet trade or private collections. The Public Ministry gave the same figure on World Wildlife Day in March 2026, Delfino.cr reported. Seizure numbers back that up. In July 2026, OIJ's forensic biology unit reported 4,366 plant and animal specimens seized at major airports and border crossings in 2024 and 2025, mostly reptiles such as boas, but also amphibians, wild cat claws and bones, insects, corals, orchids and parrot eggs, [Delfino.cr reported](https://delfino.cr/2026/07/autoridades-costarricenses-decomisaron-mas-de-4300-especimenes-de-flora-y-fauna-entre-2024-y-2025). Costa Rica holds about 5% of the world's known species, which makes it a target for collectors. ## Part of a longer U.S.-funded project The workshops belong to a project called "Improving Costa Rica's Capacity to Combat Wildlife Trafficking," funded by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and run by Humane World for Animals with the commission. This isn't the first round. In 2024, the same project held three trainings on handling seized animals, protecting the people involved and feeding and transporting wildlife, according to a [Humane World release from April 2024](https://www.humaneworld.org/es/news/autoridades-costarricenses-fortalecen). Those sessions introduced officers to a web app, the "Guía para el Manejo de Animales Silvestres Decomisados / Rescatados," that helps them identify species and check their legal protection and handling needs. Deputy environmental prosecutor José Pablo González, the commission's coordinator, stressed ongoing training and coordination between agencies back then, as [El Mundo CR reported](https://elmundo.cr/costa-rica/fortalecen-capacitacion-para-atender-denuncias-sobre-animales-silvestres-rescatados-o-decomisados/). He still held that role in April 2026 and made the same point to The Tico Times. OIJ figures cited then counted 534 wildlife seizures in 2022 and 2023. The training ties into other enforcement work this year, from [Holy Week checkpoints](/news/semana-santa-wildlife-patrols-2026/) to warnings about [macaw and parrot chick poaching in Osa](/news/osa-macaw-nesting-trafficking/). Prosecutors also say a growing share of the trade now happens on [social media](/news/wildlife-trafficking-social-media/). ## What to do if you find a wild animal in trouble If you find an injured or orphaned animal, or see one being sold or kept illegally, don't try to rescue or move it yourself unless authorities ask you to. Report it to SINAC or MINAE, and leave care to authorized centers. You can find licensed rescue centers on [our wildlife rescue map](/#rescue). ## Frequently asked questions ### What happens to wild animals seized from traffickers in Costa Rica? Authorities take them to authorized rescue centers, where vets assess them. Some are rehabilitated and released, while others that can't survive in the wild stay in long-term care. ### Who trained Costa Rican officials to handle seized wildlife in 2026? Humane World for Animals Costa Rica and the National Environmental Security Commission ran the workshops, with specialists from Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, under a project funded by the U.S. State Department's INL bureau. ### How many wild animals are trafficked in Costa Rica each year? Costa Rica's Public Ministry and Humane World for Animals estimate that more than 1,000 wild animals are illegally taken from their habitats each year. ### Is it illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet in Costa Rica? Yes. Taking, keeping or selling wild animals without authorization is illegal under Costa Rica's Wildlife Conservation Law, and cases are referred to prosecutors.