Texas Border Patrol agents discover 'critically endangered' monkeys inside migrant’s backpack

Texas Border Patrol agents discovered migrant carrying seven “critically endangered” spider monkeys in his backpack near the U.S.-Mexico border last weekend, authorities said on Thursday. 

The smuggler, a Mexican Juvenile, was apprehended by Fort Brown Station agents in Brownsville, Texas, near the Mexican border on Sunday. The cause of the arrest is not immediately known.

However, after he was arrested, agents located the monkeys among his belongings. 

"Extremely proud of our agents for stopping this wildlife smuggling attempt of these critically endangered animals!" a Facebook post by the Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol reads.

The post includes a video showing the seven monkeys tightly squished inside the backpack, which appears to have holes for the animals to be able to breathe. 

The monkeys were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The condition of the animals remains unknown. 

"This case highlights the lengths smugglers will go to maximize profits with no regard for the lives of migrants or animals," said Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez.

Spider Monkeys are native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, as well as parts of Mexico. They are critically endangered, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. 

Spider Monkeys tend to be between 14 and 26 inches and can weigh up to 13.25 pounds. The monkeys get their name from their long limbs and tail, which resemble spider legs when they hang from tree branches, according to National Geographic. 

This is not the first time that Texas border agents have discovered migrants attempting to smuggle in monkeys across the border. In 2021, a 20-year-old woman attempted to bring in four spider monkeys in a duffle gad in Progresso.