Four juvenile spider monkeys that were smuggled into the U.S. inside lunch boxes are now being cared for at the Hattiesburg Zoo.
Zoo officials announced that each went through a quarantine period before being introduced to their outdoor habitat alongside a senior adult male spider monkey that has been at the zoo for several years. Two of the monkeys, per officials, are male, while the other two are female.
Before the monkeys arrived at their safe homes in Hattiesburg, officers with the Fish & Wildlife Service discovered them inside lunch boxes at the U.S.-Mexico border and confiscated them under the Lacey Act — a regulation making it illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase animals that were taken in violation of federal, state, tribal, or foreign laws.
The Hattiesburg Zoo was contacted by the AZA Wildlife Trafficking Alliance and the Species Survival Program, two organizations dedicated to wildlife protection. They asked the zoo to permanently house and care for the primates. Zoo officials, of course, accepted the request.
“The pet trade is very dangerous and often results in the death of the mothers of the primates, which are purposefully or accidentally killed by traffickers attempting to separate and capture their babies in an effort to smuggle and sell them,” said Kristen Moore, Hattiesburg Zoo’s director of wildlife. “Spider monkeys live in large troops and create strong family bonds, which cannot be replicated by humans. They require special care, diets, and habitats, and are not ideally suited to be raised in a residential environment.”
Spider monkeys are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The genus contains seven species, including the endangered black-handed spider monkey and brown spider monkey. Their disproportionately long limbs and long tails make them one of the largest New World monkeys and give rise to their common name.
Officials note that, in their natural environment, spider monkeys live in the upper layers of the rainforest and forage in the high canopy. They primarily eat fruits but will occasionally consume leaves, flowers, and insects. Due to their large size, spider monkeys require large tracts of moist evergreen forests and prefer undisturbed primary rainforest. They are social animals, living in bands of up to 35 individuals but splitting up to forage during the day.
In Mississippi, Hattiesburg Zoo visitors will have plenty of opportunities to see the new spider monkeys. Zoo hours and admission prices can be found here.