CHP makes an unusual stop

CHP makes an unusual stop

California Highway Patrol officers were amazed at the “next level monkey business” they discovered in a speeding Rolls-Royce Ghost in Madera County on Monday night: five cell phones, four large containers of weed and a month-old spider monkey wearing a onesie wore.

Not only is it illegal to keep primates as pets in California, experts say owning a small spider monkey is particularly dangerous. The young primates, which are threatened with extinction, require constant supervision and competent care to survive.

According to the CHP, the driver of the luxury vehicle, which is available new for more than $350,000, was stopped for speeding north on California 99 north of Avenue 17 near the city of Madera. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of an exotic animal and possession of cannabis for sale.

The suspect was identified as Ali Mused Adel Mohamed and was being held at the county jail, a spokesman for the Madera County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

As for the monkey? He has a new home and a new nickname.

On Tuesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife brought the monkey to the Oakland Zoo, which specializes in housing and caring for exotic animals confiscated across the state. These include African lions, tigers, gibbons, macaws, chimpanzees, parrots, goats, sheep, rabbits, reptiles and more.

“We really want to discourage people from engaging in the pet trade in this way because it is clearly illegal and it is not good for animals to be raised with unqualified care,” said Fish and Wildlife Captain Nathan Smith. “Many of the spider monkeys we see are malnourished due to a lack of understanding of nutritional and medical needs.”

In the wild, spider monkeys are cared for by their mother for the first two years of life, he said. People who keep them as illegal pets often underestimate the level of constant attention they need and don’t give them enough milk, he said.

Smith said the illegal trade in exotic animals, including spider monkeys, is a growing problem in California.

The seized monkey is now in the care of experienced zookeepers, but officers initially found themselves in an awkward position Monday night after making an arrest and realizing there was no free place to take the monkey.

The arresting officer bravely agreed to take the primate home and care for him overnight.

On Tuesday morning, he took the monkey to Madera County Animal Services, where staff nicknamed the monkey “Marcel,” after Ross Geller’s pet monkey on the sitcom “Friends.”

Amy Toler, director of Madera County Animal Services, spent Monday morning caring for the monkey while she waited for the Department of Fish and Wildlife to pick him up.

Marcel is the first spider monkey seized in Madera County, Toler said. So she called the nearby Fresno Chaffee Zoo and asked for advice on how to care for the monkey.

“It was just a matter of keeping the monkey warm against me with a blanket,” she said. “We fed it mashed banana and gave it water. It had a diaper that was changed.”

Toler said she enjoyed her quiet morning changing the monkey’s diaper and was glad he would receive the care he needs at the Oakland Zoo.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

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