The first rule of Monkey Club is…
A smuggled spider monkey has been turned into a social media star by its Mexican owner, wearing a hat and human clothing, prompting condemnation from animal rights groups.
In Latin America, exotic pets have long been associated with drug lords known for flaunting their wealth in extravagant ways.
But now this trend has reached the point where every wealthy Mexican class has reached the point where Monkey Clubs are being established all over the country.
Video posted on TikTok Club Monkey Culiacan – Lives in Sinaloa The state best known for its ties to drug lord Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán – A 19-pound spider monkey is shown dancing and playing in a frilly dress.
One video program A female spider monkey in a pink dress and green shorts with suspenders struggles with her brother.
another video program Monkeys participating in extravagant birthday parties with live bands, elaborate balloon displays, and horses are all thrown for the benefit of their fellow primates.
A TikTok video of a spider monkey's first birthday party, named after its owner Kira Sophia, has gone viral with over 2 million views.
The animals are illegal to keep as pets and are smuggled from the jungles further south.
And owning one has become a status symbol.
“A lot of people have them here. It's fashionable. There's money to keep monkeys,” Zulma Ayala, a 34-year-old florist who researched the practice in Culiacan, told the Los Angeles Times. Ta.
Spider monkeys are not the only wild animals prevalent in this town, home to some of Mexico's wealthiest people.
This trend, memorialized in Scarface, about Tony Montana's pet tiger, and furthered by Pablo Escobar's famous zoo tales featuring zebras, giraffes, hippos and elephants, became popular among cartel leaders. It is said that it has spread. Los Angeles Times.
In a recent US indictment, the sons of El Chapo (currently serving a life sentence in a US federal prison for the crime) are accused of giving tigers to enemies “dead or alive”.
This trend now extends far beyond cartels.somewhere else popular social media videosa girl took her pet tiger for a walk on a public road during the day on a leash.
Also featured in the video A tiger sticking its head out from the top of a car.
Animal rights groups like Born Free USA strongly condemn exotic pet ownership.
Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA, said: “For an animal whose natural instinct is to be free in the wild, it's hard to imagine how comfortable wearing a tutu and being tethered to a leash would feel. I can’t,” he told the Post.
The Mexican government specifically prohibits owning spider monkeys because the native species is endangered, but other exotic animals such as lions, tigers, and bears are allowed.
Mexican law states that for an exotic animal to be legally owned, it must be born in captivity, safely confined, and treated with respect. However, enforcement has been slow due to a lack of inspectors, according to a report in the LA Times.
Ernesto Zazueta, director of the Ostock Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Culiacan, told a Los Angeles-based newspaper that the reserve is caring for a tiger that was shot two or three times in the face and shoulder during a gunfight. he said. The reserve also houses hippos left over from Pablo Escobar's famous zoo.
Grimes said moving to a sanctuary is the best of several bad options for wild animals in captivity.
“They're getting a better life on the reserve, but it's certainly not what they deserve,” Grimes said.
Grimes said that to domesticate most animals, they must be separated from their mothers at an early age, which causes permanent physical and mental trauma to the animals.
“It poses a threat to public safety,” Grimes said.
The members of the Monkey Society also noticed this.
The group stated: TikTok posts Monkeys “express” themselves by biting, scratching, and displaying other aggressive behaviors during the first few months of ownership.
“They act out because they are forced to live an unnatural life. So how do these people drive that behavior? Is it by punishing the animals to bite or bite? “Is it by teaching the animal that scratching will cause injury? This forces the animal to engage in unnatural behavior and exposes it to additional stress,” Grimes said.
“They should never be kept as pets,” Grimes added.
