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Texas border agents rescue 'critically endangered' spider monkeys person tried to smuggle into US

The seven spider monkeys were turned over to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Credit: US Customs and Border Protection

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection have seen their fair share of weird things people try to smuggle over the border. Most recently, someone tried to smuggle several spider monkeys into the United States.

Fort Brown Station Border Patrol agents made an arrest near Brownsville and then made a surprising discovery: seven spider monkeys hidden in a backpack. 

Video shows the monkeys in the bag with several holes in it to allow them to breathe. 

"Extremely proud of our agents for stopping this wildlife smuggling attempt of these critically endangered animals!" a post by the RGV Sector of Border patrol said. 

The monkeys were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the post said. Spider monkeys are typically found in tropical rainforests from Central Mexico south to Bolivia. 

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