Man faces severe penalties after senseless vandalism is caught on camera: 'Demolished'

The Yucatan Times reported that a man was caught on camera damaging public trees in downtown Mérida, Mexico. The man, identified as José F.E.A., was arrested after he removed branches from 25 of them. The incident happened in the early hours of March 25 on 60th Street.

Security cameras caught an intoxicated José in the Santa Lucía area of the city before being taken to jail. The State Attorney General's Office is handling the case. The drunken incident was disturbing, as it involved the senseless act of vandalism against plants that are essential to the environment — trees absorb carbon and release oxygen, making it possible to breathe and do so with reduced pollutants. Unfortunately, tree destruction is nothing new in this Mexican city.

There was a similar incident in the city on March 23 — although no alcohol was involved — where the Yucatan Times reported that heavy machinery removed approximately 2 to 4 hectares (roughly 4.9 to 9.9 acres) of vegetation from a Protected Natural Area without a permit.

Luis Borjas Romero, president of the state's Permanent Commission of Justice, told Yucatán Magazine in 2021: "Urban trees in Mérida and across Yucatán continue being cut down and demolished with impunity."

There are trees like the Ceiba that are sacred in Mayan culture, per Na'atik Language and Culture Institute. However, as of 2025, only 26 trees are protected in Mérida, according to Cause Natura Media.

Storm damage, death, and overgrown roots are reasons to remove a tree for safety and to protect property. Doing so without thought or cause can have far-reaching consequences, such as making it easier for runoff to get into waterways, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Just as devastating weather events rob humans of their homes and secure food sources, tree demolishers do that to many creatures that live in and around them. Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds keep the food chain going, but they can't do so without a place to rest, raise their young, and feed.

Luckily, solutions to human and natural deforestation are taking place through organizations and caring volunteers. Volunteers with the National Park Service are replanting Joshua tree sprouts with the help of camels to prevent the tree's extinction after devastating droughts and wildfires.

Another four-legged friend, Ivor the dog, sniffs out Phytophthora ramorum, a pathogen that can kill millions of oak trees.

Based on the locality fines Yucatán Magazine reported, José F.E.A. could pay over 600,000 pesos and face a jail sentence of between six months and two years.