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[Josh Greenman <josh.greenman AT gmail.com>]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10692772

Mexico arrests man with 18 monkeys around his waist
By Julian Miglierini

BBC News, Mexico

Two of the titi monkeys died during the trip

Mexican authorities have arrested a man who was trying to smuggle 18
small monkeys into the country by carrying them in his clothing.

Roberto Sol Cabrera, a Mexican citizen, was stopped at a random check
at Mexico City's international airport after arriving from Lima.

In a statement, police said Mr Cabrera Zavaleta had been behaving "nervously".

Once he was searched, it was discovered that he had hidden 18 titi
monkeys in a girdle around his waist.

After his arrest, Mr Sol Cabrera confessed that the animals had
travelled in his luggage, and that he had put them under his clothing
"to protect them from X-rays" as he was going through customs.

The animals had been put into socks, police explained, and two of them
were dead at the time of confiscation.

Many species of titi monkeys, a species from South America, are in an
endangered animal list by the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

The Mexican government recently restricted imports of primates and
since Mr Sol Cabrera did not have any permits, he will remain in
custody while more investigations take place.

'Tradition'

In a video published by the Mexican Public Security agency, Mr Sol
Cabrera says he had paid $30 (£19.70) for each specimen in Peru.

According to estimates, monkeys like the ones confiscated in the
airport could have been sold for between $775 (£509) and $1,550
(£1,018) in Mexico.

Adrian Reuter, local representative for Traffic - an international
organization that monitors wildlife trade - told the BBC that animal
trafficking is a serious problem in Mexico.

"The reasons are two: one, because Mexico is an important route for
those who want to smuggle animals into the US, and the other, because,
as in other countries of Latin America, there is a deep-rooted
tradition of having wild animals as pets," he said.

The Sonora market, in the Mexican capital, is known to sell parrots,
monkeys or reptiles for private owners.

Mr Reuter recognizes that in the last few years, the Mexican
government has improved efforts on fighting animal-trafficking
criminal networks, rather than focusing on the citizens who want to
have "a parrot for company", he says.