U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were not monkeying around on Dec. 30 after finding four primates hidden inside a duffel bag at the Progreso-Nuevo Progreso International Bridge.
(Courtesy photo)
The discovery was made when a 20-year-old woman, a U.S. citizen, arrived at the port of entry in a 2017 Jeep Patriot, which was referred for further inspection.
“Officers conducting the secondary inspection discovered four spider monkeys hidden inside a duffel bag and working together with CBP agriculture specialists cautiously removed them from the bag, placing them in an animal container,” CBP said in a news release.
CBP contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which identified the animals that are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America, including southern Mexico and are considered endangered.
“While conducting their inspections, our officers will often encounter a myriad of prohibited agriculture products,” said port director Walter Weaver. “Sometimes these encounters yield hidden exotic animals, such as in this case.”
CBP issued the woman a penalty and the spider monkeys were returned to Mexico, according to the news release.
(Courtesy photo)
