Within the Mexico City International Airport, 18 Titi monkeys were discovered strapped around a man’s waist. These monkeys, much like many other endangered species, are traded on the black market for high profit margins. The Titi monkeys were discovered by airport police, who later arrested the smuggler. Had Roberto Zavaleta Sol Cabrera successfully sold the Titi monkeys, he could have made more than $ 27,000.
Titi monkeys smuggled through airport
When patrolling the airport, police saw a man who “was acting very nervous.” Sol Cabrera was apparently trying to “conceal a large lump in his jumpsuit.” This raised the curiosity of police, and they found 18 Titi monkeys under his clothes. Two of the monkeys, stuffed into socks and strapped to the man’s waist, had already died. Roberto claimed that he had transported the monkeys this way to “protect them from the x-ray scanners.”
Info to learn about the Titi monkey
The Titi monkey is a tiny monkey native to South America. Between 10 and 22 inches long, the monkeys have long, soft fur. The monkeys are omnivorous, and eat a wide variety of things. The Titi monkey is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Titi monkeys are also heavily regulated by the Mexican government. The trade in primates as pets is big in Mexico, despite these restrictions.
The profit of black market animals
The black market in animals is sadly a thriving trade. The Titi monkeys were purchased for $ 30 apiece by the smuggler. If Roberto had managed to sell the monkeys, they would have sold for as much as $ 1,550 apiece. Within the United States, the monkeys would have been sold to pet stores or collectors for $ 3,000 or more. The pet buyers and animals are both put in significant danger by the pet trade.
No comments:
Post a Comment