RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – In September 2024, Vida Livre Institute, a wildlife rescue center, received an unusual call from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden staff. They were sending over two monkeys who were behaving strangely and had to be assessed by the Institute’s veterinarian. After running a few tests, the vet confirmed that the animals had been drugged in broad daylight, in one of Rio’s most popular green spaces. This tactic is often employed by poachers to sell animals as pets in local markets or online. A quick search on Instagram reveals videos of monkeys dressed in diapers, showcasing the disturbing trend where animal suffering is masked by viral engagement. Fortunately, the two monkeys were rescued in time and rehabilitated. WIth 10 years of existence, Vida Livre Institute has already helped over 13,000 animals, most of them species of the Atlantic Forest: anteaters, sloths, armadillos, monkeys, boas, several bird species, and even a puma. Mongabay followed the monkeys’ recovery and the vital work done by the center to provide Rio’s wildlife with a second chance at life. Illegal wildlife trade ranks as the world’s fourth largest criminal enterprise, following drug trafficking, counterfeit goods, and human trafficking. Its consequences are extensive: it threatens biodiversity, it undermines governance, and it has significant economic repercussions. A World Bank study estimates that this trade could cost the global economy a staggering trillion dollars per year, with 90% of that loss attributed to the degradation of ecosystem services. This documentary is the first…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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