Expert insights from Dr. Ally Prince, staff veterinarian, Gladys Porter Zoo
Spider monkey trafficking has brought 49 baby Mexican spider monkeys to Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, since 2024. Most arrive at 4 to 6 weeks old. Each one lost its mother. Poachers kill the mothers to take the babies, who arrive to the zoo weak, sick and without the early learning they’d get from their mothers. The zoo’s veterinary team gives them round-the-clock care and places them with accredited zoos, working to help every one of them thrive.
Key takeaways
- Gladys Porter Zoo has taken in 49 confiscated spider monkeys since 2024, nearly all infants.
- To take a baby spider monkey, a poacher almost always has to kill its mother.
- Rescued monkeys can’t return to the wild because they miss the survival lessons their mothers would teach.
- You can help by not sharing pet monkey content and by supporting accredited zoos.
Quick facts
- Scientific name: Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus
- One of six subspecies of the Geoffroy’s spider monkey
- Conservation status: endangered due to habitat loss and exploitation in the pet trade
- Native range: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras
- Size: up to 17 pounds and 24 inches long, not including its tail, which is longer than the body
- Diet: omnivores that eat fruits, nuts, flowers, insects and leaves
- Standout traits: a strong grasping tail and hook-like hands without a thumb Age at confiscation: usually 4 to 6 weeks
Why are baby spider monkeys taken from the wild?
Baby spider monkeys are taken from the wild because people want them as pets, often without realizing how specialized and demanding their care is. Taking one comes at a steep cost. Poachers must kill the mother to get her baby.
“There is no getting a baby spider monkey away from its mom,” said Dr. Ally Prince, staff veterinarian at Gladys Porter Zoo. “That mom will do everything in her power to keep that baby with her.”
What happens when rescued spider monkeys arrive?
When rescued spider monkeys come to Gladys Porter Zoo, the staff’s first goal is to stabilize them, because most arrive in poor condition. Dr. Prince gives them a physical exam and then places them in incubators.
“When they’re as young as they are when they come in, they’re still clinging to mom,” Dr. Prince said. “Their ambient temperature is supposed to be about 98.6 F because they stay so close to mom that they don’t experience the air temperature around them. So, when we get them in, we have to focus immediately on heating them up.”
The care team gives the spider monkeys stuffed animals to cling to for comfort. Eventually, the monkeys graduate out of the incubators.
See the care team in action on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild episode “Second Chance Spider Monkeys.”
What does 24/7 care look like?
The spider monkeys receive round-the-clock care with feedings every two hours for the first day and every three hours the following days. It’s a demanding schedule necessary to help these babies thrive.
“When our incubators were full, they would finish the 9 a.m. feeding and it’s time to start the noon. And they finish the noon and it’s time to start the three,” Dr. Prince said.
That schedule may sound familiar to anyone who’s cared for a newborn. It’s not the only thing spider monkeys and humans have in common. These baby monkeys also eat human baby formula, like Similac, a sensitive stomach milk used to help reduce bloating.
Why do rescued spider monkeys need quarantine?
Primates and people can pass many diseases to each other. Since baby spider monkeys don’t have fully developed immune systems, quarantine helps protect both monkeys and humans.
“Primates can spread a lot more diseases than other species can to humans because of their close relationship to us,” Dr. Prince said. “Their quarantine is as much for them as it is for us.”
The care team wears N95 masks, scrub tops and gloves as personal protective equipment to protect the monkeys and themselves. Masks are especially important because respiratory infections are the most common way diseases spread between them.
Spider monkeys also need to be kept away from cats, which can give them “pretty nasty infections,” Dr. Prince said. The team makes sure no one goes from caring for cats to caring for monkeys.
How do trafficked spider monkeys end up in Brownsville, Texas?
Brownsville, Texas, sits right on the U.S.-Mexico border near the Gulf of Mexico. Most spider monkeys are seized at the border or at checkpoints about an hour inside the U.S. Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service then bring them to Gladys Porter Zoo, the area’s only veterinary wildlife rehabilitation center. Occasionally, the Brownsville Police Department brings in a monkey found during an illegal pet raid.
“Because of our location, we’ve ended up in this situation, but we have the added benefit that we know about the care of spider monkeys,” Dr. Prince said. “We know how to care for them at every stage of their lives. I think it’s important that we remain the go-to place because we have knowledge that a lot of other people don’t have.”
Spider monkeys are brought to the zoo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol and even the Brownsville Police Department. They’ll either be seized right at the U.S.-Mexico border, at checkpoints within the U.S. about an hour or so from the border or from an illegal pet raid.
Can a rescued spider monkey go back to the wild?
No, rescued spider monkeys can never return to the wild.
“Because they don’t have that socialization and the training from their mom on how to be a spider monkey, they just can’t be successfully released,” Dr. Prince said.
Once the spider monkeys are healthy enough to be transported, the Gladys Porter Zoo team contacts other members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan® program. The team finds accredited zoos for the spider monkeys to live in.
“For primates, social development is such a huge aspect of their personalities, of their health and of their welfare,” Dr. Prince said. “So, for me, it’s really important to get them into the groups that they’re going to be in for the rest of their lives.”
Meet the four spider monkeys in care
As of September 2026, four baby rescued spider monkeys are in the care of Gladys Porter Zoo: Pierre, Xochitl, Lane and Pecas. The three females and one male arrived together, between 4 and 6 weeks old.
Pierre, the oldest, throws herself around and screams during feedings. “She’s very, very dramatic,” Dr. Prince said. “She gets upset if we’re not giving her attention.”
Xochitl is stays calm, even when the team takes her out for X-rays. “She’s sweet and seemingly friendly, but not too demanding,” Dr. Prince said.
Lane stays on a keeper’s faux-fur vest for long stretches. “She’s quite happy to be right on one of our keeper’s chest for long periods, which is great because it simulates what they’re like in the wild,” Dr. Prince said.
Pecas arrived sicker than the others. As he’s recovered, he’s started grabbing and pushing back during exams. “As his doctor, I am quite happy with him pushing back against me and starting to show that little fire in himself,” Dr. Prince said.
The four babies were “looking kind of rough when we first got them in, but they’re looking really good right now.”
“Every day is a challenge, every day is a battle and every day is us fighting to keep them happy and healthy. It’s not an easy task,” Dr. Prince said.
Mateo’s story: 40 years at Gladys Porter Zoo
Nearly all the rescued baby spider monkeys have gone on to live in another zoo, except one — Mateo. He arrived in 1986 when he was about one year old. Mateo was confiscated as a pet and was not friendly to people at first. But today, he’s beloved by visitors to the zoo.
“If you ever come down to the Gladys Porter Zoo and you walk past the Mexican spider monkeys, he’ll climb the tree to lean out and get as close to you as he possibly can. He’s just so inquisitive,” Dr. Prince said.
What recovery looks like
When one baby spider monkey came to Gladys Porter Zoo, she was OK at first but then got very sick. Eventually, she had two broken arms and a condition that made her extremely ill. Dr. Prince and her team debated whether euthanasia was the right call.
“She was so on the cusp for us,” Dr. Prince said. “But she had that fight in her and it’s almost impossible to euthanize an animal when they have that fight.”
So, they decided not to euthanize her. Thankfully, the monkey pulled through and today is thriving at her new zoo home.
“Just because an animal has left our institution doesn’t mean that animal has left our hearts,” Dr. Prince said.
Why don’t spider monkeys make good pets?
Spider monkeys are bad pets — they don’t like snuggling, they don’t like people, they’re aggressive and very demanding.
“They need unbelievably specialized care,” Dr. Prince said.
And spider monkeys can even give you diseases a typical pet can’t. They can make you sick, and likewise, you can make them sick.
How can you help stop spider monkey trafficking?
The best way to help stop spider monkey trafficking is by not contributing to the problem.
“Friends don’t let friends get monkeys as pets,” Dr. Prince said. If you hear someone say how cute they are and how they’d like one as a pet, Dr. Prince advises you to tell them these monkeys make terrible pets.
And don’t share videos of people playing with monkeys or apes or having them as pets either. Instead, help spider monkeys by supporting your local Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited facility, whose goals are education and conservation.
“Educating yourself about these species, about these institutions and how they function helps promote our mission and ultimately helps these animals,” Dr. Prince said.
Frequently asked questions about spider monkeys
Why are baby spider monkeys trafficked?
Baby spider monkeys are trafficked because people want them as pets. The mother spider monkeys are killed by poachers, the baby monkeys are taken and they’re never able to return to the wild.
Where do confiscated spider monkeys go?
Confiscated spider monkeys first go to accredited zoos with the expertise to care for them, like Gladys Porter Zoo. Once they’re healthy enough to travel, they move to other zoos through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, where they join a spider monkey group for life.
Can rescued spider monkeys be released into the wild?
No. Rescued spider monkeys can’t ever return to the wild because they didn’t learn vital skills from their mothers, such as how to find food or how to avoid predators.
Are spider monkeys good pets?
No. Spider monkeys are terrible pets because they’re aggressive, require extremely specialized care and can spread diseases to people.
