The Spanish Civil Guard on Tuesday said it had dismantled an illegal animal trafficking ring, including endangered or protected species. Spanish Civil Guard

The Spanish Civil Guard on Tuesday said it had dismantled an illegal animal trafficking ring, including endangered or protected species.

Two men aged 30 and 35 were found with more than 150 exotic animals at an illegal pet store in the town of Nules, in the eastern Valencia region, police said in a statement.

Neither had a permit to raise the animals, which they sold on the internet. Both are being prosecuted for trafficking protected species and smuggling, the statement read.

The investigation began several months ago when officers saw a listing on an internet site offering "protected species for sale." They then discovered videos of a man raising animals including leopards, owls and llamas.

After law enforcement finally located the captivity site in Nules, more than 150 types of 56 exotic species were found in cages, including two ring-tailed lemurs, a Bali starling, a zebra, five kinkajous, four ibises and two meerkats.

Some of the animals have the highest international protection as endangered species, such as the lemurs, starling and two Asian otters, police said.

Officials on Tuesday released video and several images of some of the animals.

Three macaws were also found at the site and police said two of them had been reported stolen in a town in Almería, which is about a five-hour drive away from Nules.

The average market value of the seized animals is nearly $81,500, the Civil Guard said.

The bust comes about four months after officers dismantled an online trafficking operation in big cats, including white tigers, lynx and pumas in the Balearic Islands.

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