Monkeys that escaped from truck crash killed
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Officials say the rising trend of spider monkey babies being domesticated is the cause of these aggressive poachers.
The Texas-Mexico border has become a key corridor for the illegal trade in exotic animals, with spider monkeys among the most frequently trafficked species. Despite being protected and endangered, they are in high demand as pets—often glamorized online in viral videos that show them dressed in clothes or diapers and treated like human babies.
A 39-year-old New Jersey man pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute animal crush videos. The videos, which were shared online, showed baby monkeys being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled and mutilated. A federal judge said the videos were ...