Endangered spider monkeys smuggled in backpack discovered by US border agents

Seven endangered spider monkeys hidden in a backpack were discovered by US border patrol agents in Texas on Thursday, 3 August.

Officials from Fort Brown Station arrested a person who is suspected of smuggling the monkeys into the country.

The monkeys have been handed over to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

No information was immediately available on the health status of the animals.

According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, spider monkeys are among the 25 most threatened primates in the world.