Within the Mexico City International Airport, 18 Titi monkeys were discovered strapped around a man's waist. There are high profits to be found in illegally trading black market Titi monkeys. The Titi monkeys were found 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.

Airport police discover smuggled Titi monkeys

While patrolling the airport, police saw a man who "was acting very nervous." Roberto Zavaleta Sol Cabrera was "trying to conceal a large lump in his 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. The smuggler told police that he traveled with the monkeys like this because he wanted to "protect them from the x-ray scanners."

The basics of 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. Territorial and familial, the monkeys eat fruits, leaves, flowers, insects, bird eggs and other small creatures. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species covers the trade of the Titi monkey. The Mexico government also heavily restricts the import of monkeys. These restrictions have not especially reduced the trade in primates as pets.

Big profit for black market animals

The black market in animals is unfortunately a thriving trade. The smuggler caught in Mexico City spent about $ 30 each to purchase the Titi monkeys. 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 serious danger by the pet trade.