A man was arrested after attempting to illegally sell a small monkey via an online classified ad without proper documentation.
Jesus Hernandez, 26, of Ft. Lauderdale was arrested by Florida’s Fish and Wildfire Conservation (FWC) Commission and charged with trying to sell a 1-year-old marmoset he kept in a bird cage.
A marmoset is a small monkey that averages eight inches tall and weighing about nine ounces. They are native to the coastal forests of northeastern Brazil, and are actually legal to buy and sell but the person must be registered with the state to do so. Applications for the free permits are easily available on the FWC website.
Hernandez was attempting to sell the monkey, which is only slightly bigger than a squirrel, for $2,700 when someone came across the ad and was suspicious enough to call FWC officials.
FWC authorities posed as buyers and met with Hernandez on July 11. He was arrested when they discovered he did not have the proper permits for selling the animal.
