Add The New York Post on Google A Mexican politician’s bowl of soup has landed her in hot water.
Michoacán Sen. Celeste Ascencio is facing backlash after posting a photo of herself eating a traditional iguana soup — despite some species of the reptile being protected under Mexican environmental regulations.
Therukle was touring the city of Carácuaro on Tuesday when she stopped at a local restaurant and ordered her childhood favorite.
Reyna Celeste Ascencio Ortega, a senator in the Mexican state of Michoacán, shared a photo of herself this week eating a soup that contained iguana. Celeste Ascencio/Facebook The 33-year-old foodie showed off her full bowl while holding a spoon in one hand and food in the other in a photo that has since been removed from her Facebook account.
“It had been years since I last ate iguana soup, but I tried it again in Carácuaro,” she wrote in Spanish. “There is something special about those flavors; one spoonful, and suddenly I was back in my childhood, remembering moments I thought were forgotten until something as simple as a meal brought them back.”
But the nostalgic meal quickly turned sour after social media users blasted the Morena senator for eating the reptile.
Ascencio acknowledged that she had been unaware that some iguana species are protected.
“Generally, when I travel across Michoacán, we eat the traditional dishes of the region we are visiting,” she wrote in another post. “I tried iguana soup; I was unaware that some species are protected or of the implications of consuming them.
“I do not know the local breeding practices, but I will look into it, and – of course – I am in favor of protecting our wildlife and respecting protected species. Thank you to those who pointed this out to me; I have learned from the experience.”
The Black Spiny-tailed Iguana is protected under Mexican environmental regulations. VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The capture and trafficking of iguanas is a federal crime punishable by a fine ranging from $17,700 to $47,000 and one to nine years in prison.
Despite deleting her post, the backlash has gotten hotter.
“Serious error is the lack of knowledge about breeding and, above all, the wild captivity of the iguana before its sacrifice to make it food,” one of Ascencio’s constituents wrote.
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“Ignorance of the law is no excuse for non-compliance,” another chimed in. “You don’t know such a fundamental legal principle, yet you legislate?”
An official with Mexico’s Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection spoke to the The Post under the condition of anonymity and said that they have not investigated the matter.
“If the iguana comes from a breeding facility and that facility is authorized for commercial use, there shouldn’t be a problem,” the official said. “The issue arises if the iguana was illegally taken from its natural habitat. But in this specific case, we don’t know.”
