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Butterflies on a tree in Michoacán, Mexico. Photo: Getty Images.
Butterflies on a tree in Michoacán, Mexico. Photo: Getty Images.

A second butterfly activist has been found dead in Mexico

Raúl Hernández Romero was a tour guide at the same butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán formerly managed by Homero Gómez.

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Just two days after the funeral of Homero Gómez, another person who worked at his butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán has been found dead shortly after disappearing.

Raúl Hernández Romero, 44, was a tour guide at Gómez’s El Rosario sanctuary who disappeared last Monday, Jan. 27.

Six days later, his body was found on top of a hill in a part of El Rosario called El Campanario sanctuary, according to BBC

Immediate reactions to Hernández’s death feared links to the murder of his boss.

Gómez was last seen on Jan.13 before his body was found at the bottom of a nearby well on Jan. 29.

Initial reports didn’t find foul play in Gómez’s death, but it was later determined he died of a blow to the head before drowning in the well.

Hernández, on the other hand, was found covered in bruises and with a deep cut on his head.

An investigation into his death is currently underway.

Over the years, the area around El Rosario has become more of a target for illegal logging, often backed by cartels.

The logging disrupts the habitat of the millions of monarch butterflies that make the abnormally long trip south to Mexico during the winter to stay warm.

Gómez was a relentless advocate for these habitats and often had stand offs with the loggers operating near his sanctuary.

His family said he had received death threats before his disappearance.  

According to the 2018 annual report from the international nonprofit Global Witness, Mexico ranked sixth for countries which saw the most people killed for environmental protection work in 2018, with 14 assassinations that year.

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