Israeli authorities reported that at least 10 monkeys and four lion cubs have been rescued in recent weeks in various operations across the country.
While local authorities were already working to dismantle this alleged exotic animal trafficking network from Egypt and Jordan, after a video went viral showing people driving through the Negev Desert with a monkey chained to the dashboard of a car and a lion cub in the passenger seat, what surprised officials was that the network was using high-capacity drones to smuggle the animals.
Police located and rescued the animals in the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj and Tel Sheva, where they discovered drones in nearly every home searched in the area, leading to the hypothesis that these devices were being used for illegal animal trafficking.
Southern District Commander Haim Bublil explained that these specialized drones can carry up to 70 kg and cost hundreds of thousands of shekels. It is suspected that the same network that traffics drugs and cigarettes to Gaza has expanded its activities to include wildlife smuggling.
One of the monkeys rescued in Tel Sheva did not survive and died of tetanus, a disease caused by the poor conditions in which it was kept. Authorities have also warned that these animals can carry tuberculosis, rabies, and other diseases, and are urging anyone who has come into contact with these animals to undergo medical examinations.