Nestled inside a blue-and-black animal crate, a baby spider monkey rescued from a suspected smuggler has flown from Dallas to Melbourne to — hopefully — start a new chapter with a foster family at Brevard Zoo. Florida Tech pilots Shayne Inniss and Zachary St. Amand made refueling stops in Baton Rouge and Panama City en route to Orlando Melbourne International Airport. The spider monkey — whose favorite food is grapes — was promptly whisked into a Toyota Sienna van for transport to Brevard Zoo in Viera. Brevard Zoo’s new spider monkey complex was constructed as part of the $4.4 million Rainforest Revealed expansion project. “It’s important for us to spread the word about how impactful the illegal animal trade is on endangered species, like spider monkeys,” Proctor said.

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A tiny spider monkey that was confiscated by customs agents at the Mexico-Texas border in June will soon be housed at the Brevard Zoo. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a 23-year-old Texas man tried to smuggle the monkey into the United States by hiding the animal in the center console of his 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck. “Finding this monkey is certainly unusual but not a first for our officers at Hidalgo,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. This spider monkey will be coming to the Brevard Zoo on Friday, and officials are hopeful the little guy will be able to fit in with the monkey troop at the zoo since he cannot go back into the wild. The monkey is currently in quarantine at the Dallas Zoo.