Members
This will notify our moderators and request that they review this video for inappropriate content. Are you sure?
$20 Billion Global Illegal Trade in Protected Animals: Authorities Arrest Man Smuggling Monkeys into Mexico
NTDTV | 21 July 2010 A man was arrested in a Mexican airport for smuggling small monkeys into the country from Peru. The monkeys were found hidden in his clothing. Mexican authorities arrested a man at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) trying to smuggle 18 small titi monkeys into the country. Roberto Sol Cabrera was routinely checked upon arriving from the Peruvian capital of Lima. Authorities said Sol Cabrera had been behaving nervously and once checked, police discovered he was hiding 18 titi monkeys wrapped around his waist in a girdle. Each monkey had been individually placed into socks or tights. After his arrest, Sol Cabrera told police he had paid $30 dollars for each specimen in Peru and had placed them in his luggage and had then hidden them in his clothing to protect them from being harmed by X-rays while going through customs. Two monkeys died during the ordeal. Titi monkeys are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and are found in Central and South America. Sol Cabrera does not have the necessary permits to transport the animals and has been placed in custody. Sources say the global illegal trade in live species and animal parts -- used for luxury accessories, Asian medicine or folk remedies -- is estimated to be worth up to $20 billion a year. China and the U.S. are the largest markets for banned pets and animal products, making the U.S.-Mexico border a busy corridor for the smuggling of many rare species from across Latin America and other parts of the world.
Tags:
endangered animals Global Peru medicine species trade protected mexico illegal Fur $20 Billion Monkeys Chinese
Connected To:
Forest Impacts Emperilled Ecosystems Endangered Species
