(The Local) Mobsters in Italy’s Campania region have created a veritable circus of illegal pets, to help them carry out their mafia tasks, Corriere della Sera reported.
In one incident, the environmental police (Corpo Forestale dello Stato) in Orta di Atella found a crocodile on a rooftop.
The animal was used by the local mafia boss to intimidate business owners who were late paying the “pizzo” protection money at Christmas, Easter and the Ferr’Agosto holiday, Corriere said. “Pay up or be fed to the crocodile,” the mafioso threatened.
The trade in dangerous animals in Italy has reached “an appalling level”, the environmental police said.
