Poachers in Mexico fled leaving a number of bags behind on the ground when officers of the National Guard spotted them: in the bags 4 monkeys to be sold as pets

Members of the National Guard Mexico were conducting inspection rounds when they saw a group of people in the distance. As the officers approached, the people fled. They left a number of bags behind on the ground. Given the situation, there was immediate cause for concern. To their surprise, the bags moved.The authorities immediately notified the Mexican Federal Public Prosecution Service for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) and the Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of Quintana Roo (IBANQROO). They brought the animals to safety and began the rescue operation.

The four monkeys, a male of about 5 to 6 months old and three females of only 2 to 3 months old, were in bad shape. They were all malnourished and dehydrated, and one of the youngest females had a broken arm.

With support from IFAW  www.ifaw.org them leaving a number of bags behind on the ground the monkeys were transferred to a veterinarian hospital. Although they are safe now, their future remains uncertain. Spider monkeys are very social animals, and as babies, they are completely dependent on their mothers and group members. Because they were separated from them so early and are now bonding with human caregivers, their chances of a successful return to the wild are unfortunately significantly smaller.

To capture baby spider monkeys, poachers must first kill their mothers, and often other animals in the group trying to protect the babies. Entire families are torn apart as a result. The young animals that survive are left traumatized and vulnerable.  

In this specific case, the poachers fled, likely because they were aware of the serious legal consequences. In Mexico, native primates such as spider monkeys may not be legally traded under any circumstances. This means that any animal taken from the wild and sold is part of an illegal market . 

The four monkeys rescued along the route of the Maya train were likely destined for sale as pets. This illegal market continues to grow significantly across all national borders.

As recent cases of smuggling show, baby spider monkeys are regularly transported under cruel and dangerous conditions. They are hidden in bags, cars, and containers, with little regard for their chances of survival. Their value increases significantly once they reach buyers, especially in markets where keeping exotic pets is still permitted.

This demand is one of the greatest threats to the species at the moment. Other threats include habitat fragmentation, infrastructure development, climate change, and the arrival of invasive species. However, the trade in exotic pets provides a direct incentive to remove animals from the wild.

Although Mexico has strict legal protection measures, the trade in wild animals does not stop at the country's borders. The persistent demand for primates as pets works against these efforts, especially in countries where legislation regarding animal keeping is unclear.

In the United States, for example, the patchwork of state regulations ensures that primates may be legally kept in some areas, creating loopholes that smugglers exploit.

Therefore, IFAW advocates for the Captive Primate Safety Act , which would ban the private ownership of primates as pets at the federal level. By reducing demand and closing legal loopholes, this legislation would address one of the root causes of the trade and help prevent these types of situations from occurring.

International Fund of Animal Welfare   www.ifaw.org

Danish zoo is asking for unwanted pets to feed their preditors

 

I have no idea who made this photo : It has humor

Predators at a zoo in Denmark could soon be feasting on new donations from the public — their pets.

Aalborg Zoo, which sits on the outskirts of the city of the same name in the Scandinavian country’s northwest, put out a call Thursday for unwanted animals on its social media channels.

A zoo in Denmark has sparked international outrage after asking the public to donate unwanted small pets, including rabbits and horses, to be fed to carnivorous animals like lions and tigers. The controversial plea is part of an effort to replicate what zookeepers call a “natural feeding environment.”

The practice isn’t new in Europe, but Denmark’s open call for pet donations has reignited ethical debates. Zoo officials argue that feeding live or recently euthanized animals provides mental stimulation and natural instincts for captive predators. However, animal rights groups are calling the move insensitive and disturbing.

Critics warn that inviting the public to treat pets as disposable may send a dangerous message. Supporters, on the other hand, believe it’s a more ethical solution than discarding animals. The zoo stands firm on its decision, stating it’s a transparent part of managing predator welfare.

Source: The Guardian

Aalborg Zoo has been feeding its carnivores smaller livestock for many years, deputy director Pia Nielsen said, “to give them as natural a diet as possible.”

“Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanized for various reasons to be of use in this way,” she said in an email. “In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute.”

In an update to its original post Tuesday, the zoo said it had closed the comments section.

“We understand that the post arouses emotions and interest, but hateful and malicious rhetoric is not necessary — and we encourage everyone to maintain a respectful tone,” the zoo wrote.

It is not unheard of for animals to be fed to predators after they have died in a zoo or culled from healthy animal populations.

In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark's capital courted controversy when it killed an 18-month-old giraffe called Marius with a bolt gun and fed him to the lions, saying the animal was “unwanted.”

An online petition with thousands of signatures failed to save him and the zoo said at the time that Marius had been euthanized to avoid inbreeding. 

Giraf Marius killed. Why bring children to see this? 

By Chloe Yang and Peter Guo

In Thailand exotic pets kept for photo shoots on Instagram and Tik Tok for the wealthy elite, is a booming business causing cruel conditions for the young animals

 

4 weeks old and alone. Every now and then a bottle of milk  kept separated from the mother lion

In Thailand, exotic pets are increasingly popular among the wealthy elite, but few are prepared for a long-term commitment and campaigners say many animals are kept in cruel conditions

By Ana Norman Bermudez in Bangkok

Champagne glasses clink at an exclusive Bangkok party, where guests in designer clothes laugh and mingle. They take turns posing with a cat, passing it casually from one to the other. But as the camera settles, it becomes clear this is no house cat – it’s a lion cub. One woman, in a red cocktail dress, lifts the animal to her face and blows a kiss at the camera, a glass of wine balanced in her other hand.

Clips such as this are flooding Instagram and TikTok, offering a glimpse into Thailand’s booming captive lion trade. According to a new report by the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and the Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group the number of lions in captivity has more than tripled since 2018 – a trend fuelled in part by the rising popularity of exotic pets among the country’s wealthy elite. A growing network of lion farms cater to this demand – many of them run by amateurs with little experience in wildlife care.

• Lion breeder Patamawadee Chanpithak plays with cubs in the nursery at her farm. Photograph: Ana Norman Bermudez

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of her nursery, lion breeder Patamawadee Chanpithak giggles as three cubs – just weeks old – clumsily crawl over her lap, nudging her with closed eyes as if trying to suckle. The room smells of kitten formula.

“We were very inexperienced when we started,” she says, recalling how five of her first six cubs died within days. To date, she has sold more than 80 lions across the country.

• Social media posts advertising cubs for hire for photoshoots and for sale

Some buyers are Thai and some are foreigners, she says, but all of them are wealthy – lion cub prices in Thailand start from $5,000 (£3,700), with white cubs fetching up to $15,000. Keeping a lion is costly, requiring reinforced enclosures and up to 10kg of fresh meat a day.

Most buyers want their lions as young as possible. While there are customers who buy directly from farms, breeders also work with agents who aggressively promote cubs on social media – not just to sell, but also to rent them out for photoshoots and parties.

The problems begin once the animals grow. “Some people buy a lion and then can’t handle it,” says Patamawadee. “They ask us to buy it back.”

The report suggests this “buy-back” system has become central to the farms’ business model, offering the experience of owning a lion without the long-term commitment. Older lions may be used for breeding or passed on to zoo-like venues, generating profit at every stage of life.

I don’t agree with people keeping lions as pets. Our climate is too humid for them. Skin infections are common

Taweesak Anansiriwattana, Thai vet

Regular transfers between facilities make it difficult to track individual lions, contributing to the gap between official records and actual figures. The report identifies at least 444 lions in captivity – up from 138 in 2018, and more than the 342 registered with Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Researchers say the real number is probably significantly higher, as many sales and breeding activities go unregistered.

• Cubs are not just sold, they are also rented out for photoshoots and parties. Photograph: Ana Norman Bermudez/LightRocket/Getty Images

Despite attempts to control the trade, a number of loopholes have allowed it to flourish. In 2019, the government introduced the Wild Animal Preservation and Protection Act to regulate the ownership of non-native Cites-listed species such as lions, which previously had little protection. According to the report, the law had the unintended effect of boosting the trade in lions by creating a legal pathway with significant gaps in oversight. While lion ownership requires a licence, breeding does not – anyone who legally owns lions can also breed them. Cubs don’t need to be registered until they are 60 days old, and hybrid species such as ligers are excluded from the law altogether. The result is a thriving industry, with the trade in lion cubs alone estimated at more than (£740,000) a year.

Taweesak Anansiriwattana, a Bangkok vet known by his customers as Dr Vee, sits in his office in a clinic on the outskirts of the city. “I don’t agree with people keeping lions as pets,” he says. Over the past five years, he has treated more than 25 privately owned lions. “Our climate is too humid for them. Skin infections are common,” he says, adding that malnutrition is also widespread. “People feed them chicken, but they need organs like liver and intestines to survive.” Though owners are required to build enclosures measuring a minimum of 3 metres by 3 metres, fewer than half of the households Dr Vee has visited meet these standards.

• Adult animals, including valuable white lions, and cubs at a breeding farm. Photographs: Ana Norman Bermudez

“There are serious animal welfare challenges,” says Tom Taylor, operations chief at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and co-author of the report. “Some of these facilities keep lions in cramped and barren enclosures without sunlight, on concrete substrate, and poor-quality food, resulting in a life of misery.” To meet demand, breeders often separate cubs early to force mothers back into oestrus. Inbreeding is common, especially with white lions and hybrids, which are considered more valuable.

Lions, which are not native to Thailand, are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. While the country’s captive population offers little benefit to conservation, Taylor warns it is becoming fertile ground for trafficking, fuelling demand that puts wild lions at risk. “We have received credible reports from traders indicating that lions in Thailand are being illegally exported, both as live animals and dead for their body parts,” he says, adding that lion parts may be filling the market gap left by the more tightly restricted tiger trade.

• A Thai woman was charged with illegal possession of lion cub after a video showing the animal in a car gained 2.6m views. Photograph: Thailand Central Investigation Bureau

Public safety is also a significant concern, as seen in news reports of lions escaping from private enclosures or being taken into public spaces. In 2024, a viral video of a man driving a pet lion in a convertible car caused widespread concern. In response, the director general of the department of national parks said the government was considering changes to the law, including restrictions on lion ownership.

‘It shouldn’t be that easy’: inside the illegal wildlife trade booming on social media

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The report calls for an urgent ban on private ownership and commercial breeding, tougher licensing requirements, and limits on lion cafes and photo opportunities – arguing these practices promote the glamorisation of exotic pets. “Many people are drawn to the idea of owning a lion without fully understanding the ethical, financial and safety implications,” says Taylor, adding that similar trends are emerging with other non-native species, including ring-tailed lemurs and red pandas. “We hope this report encourages the public to think about where these animals come from, the conditions they are kept in, and what happens when they grow too large and dangerous to handle.”

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