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Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Is Found Dead, Two Weeks After Vanishing Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Is Found Dead, Two Weeks After Vanishing
(about 1 hour later)
MEXICO CITY — The body of a Mexican conservationist devoted to the protection of the monarch butterfly in Mexico was found on Wednesday, two weeks after he went missing, the authorities said.MEXICO CITY — The body of a Mexican conservationist devoted to the protection of the monarch butterfly in Mexico was found on Wednesday, two weeks after he went missing, the authorities said.
Homero Gómez González managed a butterfly sanctuary in the state of Michoacán, a violence-ravaged region but also the location of mountain forests where the butterflies settle every winter following a long and extraordinary migration from Canada and the United States.Homero Gómez González managed a butterfly sanctuary in the state of Michoacán, a violence-ravaged region but also the location of mountain forests where the butterflies settle every winter following a long and extraordinary migration from Canada and the United States.
Mr. Gómez’s disappearance was reported on Jan. 14, spurring a robust search involving several government agencies. The circumstances of his disappearance and death remain unclear, though an official with Michoacán’s human rights commission told Reuters in the days after he vanished that he may have run afoul of illegal loggers working in the area.Mr. Gómez’s disappearance was reported on Jan. 14, spurring a robust search involving several government agencies. The circumstances of his disappearance and death remain unclear, though an official with Michoacán’s human rights commission told Reuters in the days after he vanished that he may have run afoul of illegal loggers working in the area.
Criminal groups in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America have often threatened or attacked environmentalists whose work impedes their interests.Criminal groups in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America have often threatened or attacked environmentalists whose work impedes their interests.
In recent years, Mexico has been reeling from a relentless increase in homicides, a trend that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been unable to reverse in the 14 months he has been in office. Last year, the nation recorded more than 34,500 murders, the highest annual tally since the late 1990s when the government started keeping such data.In recent years, Mexico has been reeling from a relentless increase in homicides, a trend that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been unable to reverse in the 14 months he has been in office. Last year, the nation recorded more than 34,500 murders, the highest annual tally since the late 1990s when the government started keeping such data.
Mr. Gómez’s body was found in the municipality of Ocampo in northeastern Michoacán, where he had disappeared, in a large tank designed to capture rainwater, said Magdalena Guzmán, a spokeswoman for the state prosecutor’s office in Michoacán.Mr. Gómez’s body was found in the municipality of Ocampo in northeastern Michoacán, where he had disappeared, in a large tank designed to capture rainwater, said Magdalena Guzmán, a spokeswoman for the state prosecutor’s office in Michoacán.
Investigators had not yet determined a cause of death, she said in an interview late Wednesday.Investigators had not yet determined a cause of death, she said in an interview late Wednesday.
The disappearance of Mr. Gómez struck Mexico particularly hard, in part because he had devoted himself to the protection of an iconic and widely loved feature of the country’s natural environment.The disappearance of Mr. Gómez struck Mexico particularly hard, in part because he had devoted himself to the protection of an iconic and widely loved feature of the country’s natural environment.
Millions of the orange-and-black monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico starting in October after flying as far as 3,000 miles from the eastern regions of the United States and Canada. They make the return trip in March.Millions of the orange-and-black monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico starting in October after flying as far as 3,000 miles from the eastern regions of the United States and Canada. They make the return trip in March.
The monarch is the only species of butterfly known to make a two-way migration akin to the round-trip migration of birds, according to the United States Forest Service.The monarch is the only species of butterfly known to make a two-way migration akin to the round-trip migration of birds, according to the United States Forest Service.
In Mexico, the monarchs settle in about a dozen high-altitude, fir-covered mountainous areas in Michoacán and contiguous Mexico State, the Forest Service said.In Mexico, the monarchs settle in about a dozen high-altitude, fir-covered mountainous areas in Michoacán and contiguous Mexico State, the Forest Service said.
But those habitats have been threatened for years by illegal logging, which has contributed to a decline in their population.But those habitats have been threatened for years by illegal logging, which has contributed to a decline in their population.
Mr. Gómez worked at a sanctuary called El Rosario, located in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a site on the UNESCO World Heritage List and a popular destination for tourists wanting to see the butterflies.Mr. Gómez worked at a sanctuary called El Rosario, located in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a site on the UNESCO World Heritage List and a popular destination for tourists wanting to see the butterflies.
“The overwintering concentration of butterflies in the property is a superlative natural phenomenon,” according to the UNESCO website. “The millions of monarch butterflies that return to the property every year bend tree branches by their weight, fill the sky when they take flight, and make a sound like light rain with the beating of their wings. Witnessing this unique phenomenon is an exceptional experience of nature.”“The overwintering concentration of butterflies in the property is a superlative natural phenomenon,” according to the UNESCO website. “The millions of monarch butterflies that return to the property every year bend tree branches by their weight, fill the sky when they take flight, and make a sound like light rain with the beating of their wings. Witnessing this unique phenomenon is an exceptional experience of nature.”
The Purépecha, an indigenous population that primarily lives in Michoacán, considers the monarch butterfly “the soul of the dead,” according to the Mexican government, and views the butterflies’ arrival as the harbinger of the Day of the Dead, an annual celebration of friends and family who have died. The Purépecha, an indigenous population that primarily lives in Michoacán, consider the monarch butterfly “the soul of the dead,” according to the Mexican government, and view the butterflies’ arrival as the harbinger of the Day of the Dead, an annual celebration of friends and family who have died.