Within the Mexico City International Airport, 18 Titi monkeys were found strapped around a man’s waist. Much like other endangered species, Titi monkeys are traded on the black market for high profit. The Titi monkeys were discovered by airport police, who later arrested the smuggler. If Roberto Zavaleta Sol Cabrera had actually sold the Titi monkeys he was trying to smuggle, he would have made $ 27,000 or more.
Airport police discover smuggled Titi monkeys
When patrolling the airport, police saw a man who “was acting very nervous.” Sol Cabrera was evidently 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. The government of Mexico also has strict laws against the importation and trade of Titi monkeys. These restrictions have not especially reduced the trade in primates as pets.
Big profit for black market animals
Though many animals are either limited or banned in numerous countries, there is a thriving black market trade. The smuggler caught in Mexico City spent about $ 30 each to buy the Titi monkeys. In Mexico City, Roberto would have made $ 1,550 per monkey, if he had sold them. In the United States, the monkeys would are sold to pet stores or collectors for $ 3,000 or more. The black market trade in animals is very dangerous for the pet buyers and also the animals, but is proving very difficult to quash.
