To the editor: The recent case of a young spider monkey rescued during a drug bust in Vallejo highlights the urgent need to prohibit the cruel and dangerous trade of pet primates in this country (“Baby Spider Monkey rescued from the house of alleged methamphetamine concessionaire. Now, a new life waiting.” May 17). Although we do not know the background of this particular monkey, there has been an alarming increase in the reports of children's smuggling spider monkeys on our southern border in recent months, driven by the insatiable demand for American pet monkeys.
The poachers kill the mother's monkeys in nature and then steal their babies, pushing them into boxes, bags and car trunks for a brutal journey to the border between the United States and Mexico. Upon arriving, these criminals try to smuggled with animals to the United States to provide legal and lucrative exotic pet trade. This type of wildlife traffic often occurs within criminal networks. They are also responsible For drugs, weapons and human trafficking, threatening our national security.
The Federal Federal Safety Law of Captive Primates, directed by representative Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) with five other Copatocinadores de California, would prohibit private property from non-human primates to protect these animals as much as the public. We must approve this legislation now to maintain these monkeys in nature, where they belong.
Kate Dylewsky, Washington, DC
This writer is the Assistant Director of Government Affairs of the Animal Welfare Institute.
