(KRON) — A child spider monkey who was rescued throughout a weird DUI site visitors cease in California is recovering nicely on the Oakland Zoo, veterinarians mentioned Friday. Zoo officers named the tiny monkey “Azules” in honor of the Montes Azules Biosphere Protect in Chiapas, Mexico.
The protect is deep inside a rainforest the place wild Mexican spider monkeys stay. Zoo officers mentioned poachers in Mexico kill mom monkeys to allow them to steal their infants and promote them as unlawful unique pets in California. The infants are sometimes offered by way of social media marketplaces.
Final month, California Freeway Patrol officers discovered Azules inside a Rolls Royce Ghost on Freeway 99 in Madera County. The Rolls Royce driver was arrested for DUI and unlawful possession of an unique animal, the CHP mentioned. The malnourished monkey was transported to Oakland.
Azules continues to be recovering on the Oakland Zoo Veterinary Hospital.
Dr. Herman, vice chairman of veterinary companies at Oakland Zoo, mentioned, “Azules is bright, alert, and active. She is still thin and has muscle loss, which will take time to correct. Her upper respiratory infection is now resolved. She is following a healthy diet recommended by her nutritionist, and her organ function is good.”
Azules performs at an Oakland Zoo care facility. (Photos courtesy Oakland Zoo)
The Oakland Zoo is working with the Wildlife Confiscations Community and the AZA Species Survival Plan to ultimately transfer the monkey to an applicable social group at a WCN participant establishment.
Mexican spider monkeys are a extremely endangered species. In California, it’s unlawful to personal primates privately.
There may be an underground world of primate possession in america, the place individuals discover methods to acquire them, zoo officers mentioned. Regardless of their cuteness as infants, monkeys don’t make good pets, in line with the Oakland Zoo.
Zoo officers defined, “Infants require constant care and need to be with their mothers and families. Primate infants, like this spider monkey, are being poached from the wild, and most don’t live to see their first birthday due to inhumane care as pets. People often surrender their spider monkeys to local authorities when they reach maturity and become aggressive.”
