Argentina seizes 700 trafficked marine animals shipped from Kenya

Marine animals are seen at Fundacion Temaiken after Argentine authorities seized more than 700 trafficked species from Kenya during a major wildlife-trafficking bust at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza International Airport in Escobar, Bueno Aires May 14, 2026. (Fundacion Temaiken via AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya — Argentine authorities have seized more than 700 marine animals trafficked from Kenya in what conservationists describe as a major bust of exotic aquatic wildlife destined for the ornamental pet trade.

The seizure took place on April 26 at Ezeiza International Airport near Buenos Aires in an operation involving Argentina’s Environmental Control Brigade, customs officials, the agricultural health agency, wildlife conservation group International Fund for Animal Welfare and rehabilitation group Fundación Temaikèn.

Authorities said the shipment included tropical marine fish and invertebrates commonly sought for aquariums and exotic collections, including surgeonfish, puffer fish, lionfish, butterflyfish, octopuses, crabs and starfish.

Many of the animals arrived dead after 120 hours in transit from Kenya, while others showed severe signs of stress and shock, conservationists said.

The scale of the seizure forced Fundación Temaikèn, the only institution in Argentina equipped to receive confiscated marine wildlife of this kind, to rapidly establish an emergency rescue operation at its facilities in Escobar, north of Buenos Aires.

Veterinarians and wildlife specialists worked for more than 28 hours to stabilize surviving animals. Workers adapted existing facilities and installed 10 additional tanks equipped with heating, filtration and water-conditioning systems for tropical marine species.

‘At the limit of survival’

“Many of these animals were extracted from reef ecosystems and arrived at the limit of survival, after spending days inside transport bags and boxes before the rescue could be carried out,” Cristian Gillet, wildlife director at Fundación Temaikèn, said in a statement.

Because the animals were packed individually in hundreds of plastic bags, rescue teams carried out drip acclimation procedures one by one to gradually adjust them to new water conditions and reduce physiological shock caused by sudden temperature and salinity changes.

Specialists also used a triage system to prioritize critically weakened animals for treatment while other teams identified species and separated living specimens from dead ones.

Wildlife trafficking experts say the global trade in ornamental marine species is expanding as demand grows for exotic pets and home aquariums. Conservation groups warn that the trade can damage fragile reef ecosystems and expose animals to high mortality during capture and transport.

“This is an industrialized crime,” said Christian Plowman of IFAW. “Moving 709 animals comprising 102 species across international cargo routes, packed in bags for 120 hours of transit, is not something done casually. It requires coordination along every link of the chain.”

Plowman also said that this is the third seizure in a year by the Argentine authorities at the same entry point, which is not a coincidence but an established commercial route.

“Traffickers identify and exploit corridors that work until enforcement disrupts the model. This interception — and the two before it — should be understood as intelligence, not just seizures. They are telling us something important about where the networks are operating and how.”

The animals remain under specialized care while Argentine authorities determine their long-term fate. Officials have not said who was responsible for the shipment or whether arrests were made.

Officials from the Kenya Wildlife Service did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment.

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Allan Olingo, The Associated Press