The Hattiesburg Zoo has become a permanent home to four new spider monkeys, who were confiscated during an illegal pet trade where they were being hidden in lunch boxes.
The spider monkeys are between one and two years old. There are two girls and two boys, and as far as the zoo knows, they aren’t related. The monkeys were found at the border, being smuggled in lunch boxes.
“They were being smuggled into the US to be sold into the pet trade. Thankfully, law enforcement was able to figure it out who was bringing them in, and they got them at the border,” said Stephen Tayor, animal curator at the zoo.
Taylor said that the interesting story makes them a special case when it comes to monitoring the new animals that come to the zoo. He said that despite where they came from, they are adjusting well to their new home.
“ We can assume that the zoo they were at, they weren’t really on display, so they weren’t in the public eye a lot. They weren’t around a lot of people, so we’ve been keeping a close eye on them, making sure they’re adjusting to the crowds. They’ve been doing really, really well,” Taylor said.
Coming from a place where they weren’t exposed to crowds could make the monkeys nervous, so the zoo provided an option for them if they needed a break.
“We allow them to go inside if they want to go inside. Like if they are too stressed out, they can go inside and hang out,” he said.
The monkeys have been exploring their habitat, playing with one another and interacting with guests. Although they can be very cute and friendly, they can also be very dangerous. They are very strong and powerful for their size, Taylor says. He said this is why it is not good to keep them as pets.
“They are a lot of work, and a lot of people think they are just cute and fun, and they’ll go out and get them and don’t do the research for what it takes to take care of these guys,” said Taylor. “They need to stay with professionals that know how to take care of exotic animals, and the way people come about purchasing these primates is normally not the best. A lot of times, the mothers are killed in the wild, and the babies are taken and sold.”
Spider monkeys have become a popular animal to keep as pets across the media. This results in the monkeys being in more demand in the pet trade.
“The exotic pet trade, largely fueled by social media, is a primary target for traffickers, driving the demand for spider monkeys and other wildlife as pets,” according to Hillary Richard, author of “Confications: A Lifeline of Care for Confiscated Spider Monkeys,” from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“Although owning a spider monkey is still not illegal in certain states, many times, people surrender their spider monkeys to local authorities when they reach maturity and turn aggressive,” Richard wrote.
Taylor said that the monkeys often reach their hands through the fence for human interaction, but it is very important that the guests don’t touch them for the safety of both the humans and the monkeys.
“There’s a whole lot of zoonotic diseases that primates can pass to humans just cause we are closely related, so there’s a lot of zoonotic diseases we can pass to one another. Primates that are hand-raised tend not to have that natural aversion to humans, which can make them sometimes friendly but also very, very dangerous,” he said.
The spider monkeys will be at the zoo for years and years to come. They can grow to be 30 to 40 years old.
“They are going to be here for a very, very long time, which is exciting. With them being so young, people can really get connected to them because they’re going to be here their entire lives.
From swinging on the ropes to hanging upside down, the spider monkeys are making themselves at home in Hattiesburg. To see them, visit the Hattiesburg Zoo, Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
