Monkeys Stopped by Texas Agents from Illegally Crossing the Border

Of all the things and people stopped along the Texas-Mexico border, monkeys are probably up there for the weirdest...

Despite this, border agents at the Brownsville Port of Entry were surprised to make this a reality during a recent vehicle inspection.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

In a recent release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge recovered three live monkeys from a vehicle in a single inspection.

On December 22, a 48-year-old U.S. citizen was sent to secondary inspection after attempting entry into the U.S. His vehicle, a 2020 Mitsubishi, was searched, revealing the trio of monkeys alive and well.

A criminal investigation was initiated and the driver was arrested while his car was seized. As for the monkeys, they were sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife where they will be housed in the Gladys Porter Zoo for the time being in Brownsville.

"We remain committed to preventing the exploitation of protected animals and the spread of animal diseases," Brownsville Port Director Tater Ortiz stated.

Zero Monkey Business

The reason this is such a big deal--and why one can't just transport live animals to and fro across international lines--is because some animals are protected under CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

This program was created to sustain the legal use of wild animals and plants in global economies. So, when you just try to introduce three random monkeys with no identifying information or legal documents, it doesn't jive with the law very well.

The press release concludes by adding that "ultimately, monkeys are prohibited from importation as pets."