While scrolling through Facebook, suddenly I come across a cute video of a little monkey wearing a diaper, drinking a milk bottle in the lap of a person. Cute to look at, heart touching. But there is a terrible truth hidden behind this video. These days, a black business is flourishing in America in which primates like monkeys and lemurs are being openly bought and sold on social media. These innocent animals are paying the price with their lives. This story is not just about animal trafficking, but about the mentality that is bent on destroying the entire species in one click…

1,600 monkeys in six weeks and this is just the beginning

‘Primates for Purchase: The Surge in Sales on Social Media in the US’ The report has made shocking revelations. It has been prepared jointly by three big organizations of America – Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

According to this report, social media was monitored in America for only six weeks in 2025. During this period, 122 social media users posted 1,131 posts, in which 1,614 live primates were put up for sale. This figure is only of those animals that were caught, the actual number is estimated to be much higher.

Talking about the prices, it ranges from 250 dollars (about Rs 24,000) to 6,500 dollars (about Rs 6.26 lakh). The price depends on how small the animal is, how rare and how easily available it is.

According to this report, at least 12 types of primates are being sold, which include macaque, capuchin, marmoset, spider monkey, tamarin, squirrel monkey, vervet, lemur, bush baby, chimpanzee, howler monkey and owl monkey.

The best seller is Macaque (839 listings). After this comes marmoset (293) and capuchin (275). These animals are not an ordinary species. These also include animals like chimpanzees, which are in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Species like the cotton-headed tamarin fall into the ‘critically endangered’ category.

How is this business running openly on social media?

The answer lies in the play of words. These people never use the word ‘sale’. Instead they write – ‘Monkey Rehoming’, ‘Rescue’ or ‘Adoption’. This magic of language dodges the content filters of the platforms. Social media companies have banned the sale of live animals, but words like ‘adoption’ or ‘find a new home’ go unnoticed.

WWF Vice President Crawford Allen says, ‘Buying a primate online is not just about the animal. “It promotes maternal murder, causes extinction of future generations, and reinforces the dangerous myth that monkeys can be pets.”

IFAW’s US country director Danielle Kessler says, ‘To buy a primate in America, all you need is a phone and a social media account. With just one click, well-intentioned animal lovers get trapped in a criminal pipeline where animals have to pay the ultimate price.

Searching for a home for monkeys, lifelong trauma

Now just imagine what hell these innocent animals go through before reaching the buyer. Reports suggest that most buyers want small children because they feel that baby monkeys will easily socialize with humans. But to get a baby monkey, one has to kill its mother first.

In an investigation by CBS News, US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Jim Steinbaugh says that hunters shoot female spider monkeys from trees in the forests of Mexico. They snatch the child clinging to his back. Steinbaugh says, ‘To get the children, the mother will have to be killed and it is possible that the entire family will come forward to save the mother and child. Dozens of monkeys may have to be killed for one or two children.

After this the painful journey of smuggling begins. Children are made unconscious, tied and put into small bags. No food, no water. Many monkeys die in this journey itself. Those who survive have to suffer lifelong trauma. In the words of the report, ‘Many primates suffer lifelong trauma or die before reaching buyers.’

In some cases, there is even more cruelty than this. IFAW reports that sometimes the teeth of these animals are painfully removed, so that they cannot bite humans.

Mexico Border: The biggest route of smuggling and death

The biggest route for smuggling of primates into America is the Mexico border. Every year, attempts are made to bring more than 2,000 primates across the US border. Spider monkeys are one of the most trafficked species. Nearly 90 baby spider monkeys have been seized on the Texas-Mexico border in the last 18 months alone, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

In some cases, drug cartels are also involved in this smuggling. In April 2026, a man was caught in Brownsville, Texas, who had five Mexican spider monkeys and a kinkajou in his bag.

Is all this illegal or not?

It may sound strange, but there is no federal ban on keeping primates as pets in America. Yes, it is illegal to keep endangered species like spider monkeys under the Endangered Species Act, but the legal framework for other species is very weak.

States have their own laws. In more than half of the states, there is a complete ban on keeping primates, but in the remaining states there is either some restriction or no restriction at all. In a state like Missouri, 35 to 50 primates are sold each year and it is estimated that there are 400 to 1,000 pet primates in the state.

According to the WWF report, ‘Inconsistent or weak laws make primate trafficking a low-risk and high-profit criminal business.’

Amidst this entire crisis, there is a ray of hope, the Captive Primate Safety Act. This is a proposed federal law that would completely ban the private ownership and purchase of primates in the US. But this bill has been stuck in Congress for years.

Trafficking of primates is also a threat to humans

The risk of diseases (zoonotic diseases) spreading from primates to humans is also very high. Apart from this, when these animals grow up, they can prove to be dangerous for the owners due to their physical strength and complex behavior.

Former US Fish and Wildlife agent Ed Newcomer says, ‘Wild primates are now falling victim to the same threat that is the result of foolish desire and calculated greed. This report highlights the growing problem of primate trafficking in America. Now is the time for action.