Failed try to smuggle Titi monkeys through Mexico City

A man was found within the Mexico City International Airport with 18 Titi monkeys strapped around his torso. Much like other endangered species, Titi monkeys are traded on the black market for high profit. The smuggler was discovered and arrested by the airport police. The smuggler, Roberto Zavaleta Sol Cabrera, stood to make over $ 27,000 in profit if he had sold the monkeys. Source for this article – Man tries to smuggle Titi monkeys through Mexico City airport by Personal Money Store.

Titi monkeys smuggled through airport

In the Mexico City International Airport, airport police spotted a man who looked “very nervous.” It appeared that Roberto Zavaleta Sol Cabrera was attempting to conceal a “large lump in the jumpsuit.” This raised the curiosity of police, and they discovered 18 Titi monkeys under his clothes. Two of the monkeys that had been stuffed into socks 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

Native to South America, the Titi monkey is actually a family of small primates. The 10 to 22 inch monkeys are known for their long, soft fur. Territorial and familial, the monkeys eat fruits, leaves, flowers, insects, bird eggs and other small creatures. The Titi monkey is a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The Mexico government also heavily restricts the import of monkeys. The trade in primates as pets is big in Mexico, despite these restrictions.

Profit for black market animals is big

There is a thriving trade in banned or limited animals in numerous countries. The Titi monkeys were purchased for $ 30 apiece by the smuggler. If Roberto had sold the monkeys in Mexico City, they would have been worth $ 1,550 each. Had any of the monkeys been sold in the United States, they may have sold for $ 3,000 or more. Black market trading in animals could be incredibly dangerous to the animals and the pet buyers.