Video: Enter the spider monkey cage; They fire her

Ivanna Leos
El Paso Journal

Tuesday, May 25, 2021 | 12:13

A video of a woman in the habitat of a pair of spider monkeys at the El Paso Zoo quickly went viral, annoying thousands of El Pasoans and the employees of the institution who condemned him, and are now seeking criminal charges against him. .

In a video released over the weekend by the Fitfam El Paso page, he shows a woman inside the exhibition trying to feed spider monkeys into an area he “entered” improperly.

Joe Monticano, director of the zoo, said the woman had to cross the fence to enter the exhibition, climb through some bushes and cross a small river to finally reach the waterfall shown in the video.

Monticano promises the move is somewhat dangerous and “stupid” because it put both the animal and his person in danger.

“This is nonsense. These animals are very strong and have large claws. He is lucky that it has not changed for the worse, that is why there is a barrier between the animals and us,” the director said.

Yesterday, the El Paso law firm released a statement identifying the woman in the video as an employee of Lovett Law Firm and immediately fired her.

“We learned this morning that the person who was filmed invading the spider monkey enclosure at the El Paso Zoo was an employee of the Lovett Law Firm. He was fired,” the company’s statement said.

“The company has always been a strong supporter of animals and the safety of animals. We do not tolerate this irresponsible and irresponsible behavior. We support the El Paso Zoo. Our thoughts are on spider monkeys, Libby and Sundays. .

He said the El Paso Police Department (EPPD) had lodged a complaint with the zoo and the case was still under investigation with the possibility of registering criminal charges against the woman.