A green vervet monkey was found and rescued overnight from a cage in a home in Jericho after authorities received information that it was being held illegally. The monkey was transferred to Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors and then to the Israeli Primate Sanctuary.
1+The search was carried out under a court order by officers from the Bik’a police station in the Gilad district, Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors, the Civil Administration’s nature reserves officer, and IDF soldiers from the Bik’a Valley’s Lavi Battalion. The operation was conducted with assistance from the Jericho DCO and intelligence guidance from the David district in the Jerusalem region and the Gilad district in the Judea and Samaria region.
During the operation, a woman in her 30s from Ramla was arrested and questioned by the Nature and Parks Authority. She was released under restrictive conditions and will be summoned for further questioning on suspicion of trafficking, hunting, and illegal possession of a protected wild animal.
1+Police, the IDF, and the Nature and Parks Authority said they will continue working together to crack down on trafficking in protected wild animals while ensuring public safety and animal welfare.