Tika, the black-handed spider monkey, has a baby boy born April 17, yet unnamed, but he is already quite the character. This is her eighth baby. In its 30th year, Brevard Zoo has become a safe haven for trafficked spider monkeys that are, in turn, helping teach scientist more about how us primates think.
San Diego, California – A Texas man was sentenced Friday in federal court for his role in a disturbing wildlife trafficking case involving six protected baby Mexican spider monkeys, three of which were recovered and are now thriving at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
Sarmad Ghaled Dafar of Houston was sentenced to four months in federal custody followed by 180 days of home confinement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was also ordered to pay $23,501.70 in restitution for the cost of quarantining three of the monkeys at the San Diego Zoo after their rescue in August 2023.
According to court documents, Dafar orchestrated a smuggling operation that brought baby Mexican spider monkeys across the U.S.-Mexico border for illegal sale. In messages obtained by federal investigators, Dafar specifically sought out baby monkeys, believing they were easier to conceal. In one Facebook exchange, Dafar criticized another smuggler, saying, “He stupid brin[g] to[o] many of[] them and all adults… Baby’s most be sleeping and small to hide.”
The case came to light on August 14, 2023, when U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents intercepted three infant monkeys at the Calexico West Port of Entry. A search of the smuggler’s phone linked the trafficking to Dafar. Further investigation revealed Dafar had arranged for at least three other monkeys to be smuggled in June 2022 and July 2023. The whereabouts of those animals remain unknown.
Authorities drilled down on the cruelty behind the smuggling. Spider monkey mothers do not surrender their young willingly, and poachers often kill the mother and her troop to capture an infant. Genetic testing by the San Diego Zoo confirmed the three rescued monkeys each had a different mother, which likely proves the violence used to rip the monkeys from their homes.
“These were weeks-old babies, torn from their mothers, posing not only a risk to biodiversity but also to public health,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “This case is a reminder that border security isn’t just about drugs or illegal entry—it’s also about preventing dangerous wildlife crimes and potential zoonotic disease threats.”
The seized monkeys—named Chrissy, Jack, and Janet—were eventually placed at the Brookfield Zoo through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Wildlife Confiscations Network. They now live in a troop alongside two other rescued spider monkeys, Frankee and Bucees.
Dafar has been ordered to surrender to begin his prison sentence by May 29, 2025.
