In central Mexico, in Texcaltitlan, Mexico, on the 14th (local time), there was a clash between the military and police and members of a criminal organization.



At the time of the killing of 11 suspects, a carcass of an animal was also found at the scene of the shooting.



It was a spider monkey wearing a military-colored top with a hat and even a bulletproof vest.



The Mexican state prosecutor's office said, "It is presumed that the primate who died at the scene was also in the possession of the criminal who died at the scene."



Local media such as Millenio estimated that the people killed by the military and police at the time, including the monkey owner, were members of the drug criminal organization 'Michoacan Family'.



The Associated Press published an article on the 18th titled "The bloody price paid by Mexican criminals' obsession with exotic pets," and said, "Like scenes from the drug crime TV series, exotic animals have long been a part of the Mexican criminal world."



It is a famous story that former drug lord Pablo Escobar, who led the 'Medellin Cartel' in Colombia, brought in a lot of animals such as hippos and elephants to create a zoo.



"Drug criminals imitate the Medellin cartel and keep exotic animals as symbols of status and power," said security expert Davis Sausedo. explained.



Although it is possible in Mexico for individuals to own exotic non-endangered species,



That is why criminals often acquire exotic animals through trafficking without permission.



Raising exotic animals without proper environment is a tragedy not only for animals but also for humans.



In Periban, Michoacan, western Mexico, on the 12th, a zookeeper while feeding a tiger inside a cage bit his hand and died a few days later.



The video showed the man feeding the tiger with one hand and stroking the tiger with the other hand through the barbed wire.



The tiger was privately owned, and it is unclear whether it was legally owned or whether the owner was a person involved in a crime.



However, the Associated Press explained that the Michoacan area, where the incident occurred, is an area occupied by drug cartels.



In Tekuala, Nayarit Province, near Sinaloa, an area with a strong cartel presence, a video of a Bengal tiger leisurely passing through the street was recently uploaded to social media. I did.



Southedo told the Associated Press, "In the past, the 'Los Setas' cartel used exotic animals for torture. The enemies of the cartel became prey for tigers and crocodiles."



(Photo = Captured from social media of Mexican media such as Millenio, Yonhap News)