Rob Horgan
ALGECIRAS has emerged as the animal trafficking gateway to Europe from Africa as Spain’s illegal animal trade booms.
Exotic animals – predominantly monkeys – are increasingly being smuggled across the Strait of Gibraltar into the busy southern port as criminal organisations turn to trafficking animals rather than drugs or women.
Although the majority of smugglers use ferries to transport their goods, one airline passenger was recently arrested after a routine luggage search found a small monkey bound and gagged inside her handbag.
A spokesperson from primate rescue centre Primadomus Spain said that ‘mafia type gangs’ were largely to blame for the increased trafficking but also said European tourists needed to understand the dangers of smuggling animals.
“Tourists see an animal in the markets, especially in Morocco, and feel pity for it, they want to save it,” she said.
“Primates are not like dogs and cats. They have the intelligence of a four- or five-year-old human child but they are five to eight times stronger than an adult human. They can break a bone with a bite.
“They cannot cope in a domesticated environment, as they get older they start to show their natural instincts to be strong and dominant to establish themselves in the group hierarchy, and they attack their human group.
“The owner doesn’t know how to handle them, so they lock them into a small cage and leave them.”
Many smuggled animals are picked up by authorities in Spain who then home them at Primadomus Spain’s primate rescue centre situated in a small green valley sheltered by low mountains.
The unassuming 450-acre complex was built six years ago near Villena and homes more than 60 primates rescued from abuse and neglect. The centre has become a key player in the fight to halt illegal animal trading through the Iberian Peninsula.
article says “Exotic animals – predominantly monkeys – are increasingly being smuggled across the Strait of Gibraltar into the busy southern port as criminal organisations turn to trafficking animals rather than drugs or women”
Which busy southern port across the Straits of Gibraltar is the article referring to?
the start of the article in BOLD.
“ALGECIRAS has emerged as the animal trafficking”
SO at a guess. ALGECIRAS PORT
The first word of this article is “Algeciras”. perhaps that’s a clue regarding your question Cricket.
Clue: “LAST EDITED: September 11, 2014 at 5:57 pm”
sure the fascists will be publishing something different or in fact publishing nothing at all regarding this issue.
Funny those fascist….
Cheers Fred!
Now we know Algeciras takes top prize for everything they are accusing Gibraltar of! Not a day goes by when there isn’t something in the local press about tons of Cocaine hidden in containers inside fruit and veg or anywhere else for that matter, People hidden in car boots or trucks trying to get into Europe, containers full of illegal tobacco, guns, a hotspot for jihadists coming and going and now the latest, exotic animals. Mind it must be quite a headache for them with the amount of containers they handle. Could do with all the extra manpower they expend at the Gibraltar frontier harassing workers, tourists and small time four packets at a time tobacco smugglers.
it is terrible when animals are treated like this
The harm to animals should be treated with the same punishment as that to humans. Very sad story
This is a direct rip-off of my story for The Global Post (https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-11/spain-africas-animal-trafficking-gateway-europe). I spent quite a lot of time out at the AAP centre, visiting the facility and interviewing the staff there, which this writer obviously did not. It would have been nice if you could have at least attributed your information to the source – another publication.