Smugglers using drones to spirit lion cubs and monkeys into Israel, police say
Officers locate two more monkeys as they probe wildlife trafficking ring suspected of using heavy-duty drones to fly animals across border from Egypt, Jordan
Law enforcement officials suspect that smugglers have been using drones to fly monkeys and lion cubs into Israel by way of Egypt and Jordan, a police spokesman confirmed to The Times of Israel on Sunday.
The revelation is the most recent development in law enforcement’s weeks-long pursuit of an exotic animal trafficking ring. So far, cops have rescued 10 monkeys and four lion cubs throughout the country.
Police launched their probe after a video went viral of people driving in the Negev with a monkey chained to the car dashboard and a lion cub in a passenger’s lap.
Days later, they succeeded in rescuing the lion cub from the Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj and two monkeys from nearby Tel Sheva. A second cub was later found in central Israel.
Police who tracked down the cubs apparently found drones in nearly every home they searched in Bir Hadaj, leading them to believe that the animals were spirited into the country by drone, according to a Channel 12 report.
They suspect that the gangs now smuggling wildlife are the same ones responsible for trafficking drugs and cigarettes into Gaza. The drones in question are expensive and heavy-duty, able to carry some 70 kg (154 lbs).
“In the past, there were no drones capable of holding such a quantity… These are drones worth hundreds of thousands of shekels,” said Southern District Commander Haim Bublil, as quoted by the outlet.
Police suspect that the culprits began smuggling animals into Israel only recently, given the young ages of the lion cubs, a Southern District police spokesman told The Times of Israel.
More recently, on Sunday, police found two illegally held monkeys, one trapped in a Ramat Gan apartment, the other near a farm in Daburiyya.
Tel Aviv police found the monkey in Ramat Gan trapped in a tiny cage on an apartment’s living room floor. They arrested a 28-year-old suspect, who was also in possession of marijuana.
Nature and Parks Authority inspectors took both monkeys to shelters for further treatment and medical tests. One of the monkeys found in Tel Sheva last week died of tetanus due to the harsh conditions it was kept in.
The Nature and Parks Authority called on those who had come into contact with monkeys to get tested.
Police said on Saturday they rescued a lion cub near Kafr Qasim and a monkey in Lod, amid a string of operations against the illegal animal trade. Police found the lion cub wandering in an open area of Kafr Qasim.
According to Hebrew-language reports, authorities believe the cub was illegally smuggled into Israel but later abandoned. In a statement, police said the cub would be transferred to an animal shelter in the Kiryat Motzkin Zoo.
In Lod, investigators and Border Police officers searched a home and found an adult monkey inside a carrier too small for its size, tied up with chains and with a tight strap around its stomach.
The monkey was tested for tuberculosis, rabies, and other diseases, the police statement said, adding that the Israel Nature and Parks Authority warned such smuggled animals may carry diseases even if they look healthy.
The Times of Israel Community.