Images from a shootout in Texcaltitlán, Mexico, on Tuesday were circulating the internet as they showed a dead spider monkey dressed in a small camouflage jacket and a bulletproof vest, lying across the body of a gunman killed by the police.
The shootout is believed to have taken place between the members of a drug cartel, one of which owned the monkey, and police officials.
The authenticity of the images was confirmed by the Mexico state authorities after the scene was investigated. The state prosecutors also released an official statement.
"A primate was killed at the scene, which was presumably owned by a criminal who was also killed at the scene," the statement read.
The shootout happened when the drug cartel members attacked the local security forces of the Mexican town. As many as 11 gang members were killed along with the monkey and 7 were arrested. They were later identified as members of the Familia Michoacana cartel.
The cause of the monkey's death is still unknown. Although there are reports which present two alternatives, the first being that he might have been killed in the crossfire or it's the owner who is at fault, The Independent reported.
Authorities have mentioned that a veterinarian who has experience in treating spider monkeys or similar species will be contacted to perform an autopsy on the animal.
The arrested suspects were brought before the court on Saturday and would be facing animal-trafficking charges in addition to charges of attempted murder.
In the past few weeks there were many incidents involving exotic animals owned by drug cartel members in Mexico. The most recent one was a Bengal tiger, whose claws and fangs had been removed, caught wandering near the border with Sinaloa, home of the large organized crime syndicate of the area.
Another tiger was similarly located by the authorities, last week in the western state of Michoacán, as videos of the animal mauling a man through a chain-linked enclosure were shared online.
