Mexican community in mourning after 2 beloved butterfly conservationists killed

Two activists working to protect monarch butterflies and their habitat have been found dead in Mexico.

Homero Gómez Gonzalez, a long-time advocate for the migratory insects, went missing in late January and was found dead on Wednesday. He managed the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán state, a lifeline for millions of butterflies that make the journey there each year from Canada and the U.S.

And on Saturday, a butterfly tour guide named Raúl Hernández Romero was also found dead. His body was badly beaten.

Authorities haven't released a motive for the killings, but freelance journalist Verónica Calderón says some community members are blaming illegal loggers who operate in the area.

As It Happens host Carol Off spoke to Calderón, who was at the sanctuary this weekend. Here is part of their conversation.

How are people at the monarch butterfly sanctuary reacting to the news of these two murders?

I think we can say that this community is grieving because Homero Gómez's murder was a turning point in a state already beaten by violence. Michoacán is one of the most violent states in Mexico.

But this particular crime has struck a chord because this small community depends on his life — with the forest, with the monarch butterflies — and is really, really heartbroken.

Can you tell us about this tour guide, first of all, the one who was most recently killed, Raúl Hernández Romero. What was his job?

Raúl Hernández was a tourist guide in El Rosario sanctuary. He was a part of a really close ... group of workers in the sanctuary.

They know each other really well. So when he went missing, it was truly terrifying.

Tell us a bit about the sanctuary and the work that these men were doing, especially Mr. Gómez Gonzalez. He was the face of the sanctuary, wasn't he, really, with those videos that [he] posted?

One of the most heartbreaking things about Homero Gómez Gonzalez's videos is that he, all the time, is inviting people to know the sanctuary.

He uses these phrases that are really common in these areas of Mexico — the monarch butterflies are the brides of the sun, the soul of the dead.

This site is just beautiful. You can see these mesmerizing images of thousands and thousands and thousands of butterflies who actually traveled 2,000 miles [3,220 km] from Canada to come here to Mexico.

And that's the beautiful connection Canada has with this place. These are butterflies that make that incredible journey from here. We see them departing, gathering to depart, and knowing that they're going to be in this place, the sanctuary, which is now, it seems, under attack by those who would rather have that land for logging. Is that the case?

Yes, it is the case. 

The butterflies travel these thousands of miles just looking for a warmer place to spend here a few months, and then return during the winter. This metaphor is really beautiful as the relations that our countries have in many aspects.

So when we see that the crime in Mexico is putting at risk the sanctuaries that the butterflies have chosen ... it's really upsetting for many of us here.

The suspicion of many people is that it's illegal logging and the Mafia who run that logging who are behind these deaths. What evidence is there to support those ideas? 

One of the things that many people think here is that Homero, and this particular sanctuary, were very active in social media and active to get more attention towards how important the sanctuary was and how important it is to take care of it.

So this illegal logging, and the organized crime, maybe they didn't like that he was getting a lot of attention to defend his homeland and to take care of that place.

What many people think in the community is the fact that that fame — that was starting to spread in Mexico and in some other countries — that may have lead to these crimes.

What do you make of the idea that these men might have been killed because they are protecting monarch butterflies?

I myself am Michoacán. I mean, I'm a reporter. But this is my home state. When he went missing — Homero, first, and then this awful crime this weekend — I was so heartbroken because this is one of the very few things we have that are totally positive.

We're proud of it and it's something that I would say the vast majority of Michoacán want to keep it in a good state. Why are people willing to put at risk even that?

So it was shocking because when we start to think that we hit bottom, it seems like there's a hole under it and it felt like that.

Written by John McGill and Chris Harbord. Interview produced by Chris Harbord. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.