Detained suspects and the recovered monkeys, in a box. (Photo: Colombian Police)
Medellín, Colombia.- Authorities at José María Córdova airport in Rionegro, Antioquia, discovered a shocking case of illegal wildlife trafficking this Saturday when they found six baby monkeys hidden in the intimate parts of two foreign citizens attempting to transport them to the Dominican Republic. Environmental authorities reported that sadly, two of the animals were already dead upon discovery, and the remaining four are in critical health.
The seized animals included two white-faced monkeys (Cebus capucinus) and four cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus), a critically endangered species; both species are protected. Cornare, a regional environmental authority, reported that the four surviving primates were suffering from severe dehydration, malnutrition, and skin lesions, in addition to high stress levels. The veterinary team warned that their recovery is expected to be slow and complex. The entity also stated it was very probable the parents were killed to capture the infants.
The foreign citizens were detected by Anti-narcotics and Environmental Police agents after the airport terminal generated an alert. The immediate intervention by the Cornare team (Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Black and Nare River Basins) was crucial in securing the lives of the four surviving primates.
Both individuals have been charged with animal abuse and the illicit use of natural resources and are now at the disposal of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Javier Valencia González, Director of Cornare, strongly condemned the act. “We emphatically reject this type of wildlife trafficking. Fauna must be in freedom. We cannot allow this illegal activity to continue growing in our country,” he stated.
This disturbing case adds to the growing list of environmental crimes committed by exotic animal trafficking networks in Colombia, where many species face the threat of extinction.
