U.S.: Federal agent poses as gorilla to capture animal traffickers from Mexico (1993 news)

A federal agent disguised in a gorilla suit and placed in a cage helped nab Mexican zoo officials who were attempting to smuggle primates to their homeland, a prosecutor said Tuesday. The Mexicans, including Victor Bernal, 57, the director of zoos and parks for the interior state of Mexico, were shown real gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees at Miami-area zoos, authorities said. They were told the animals could be smuggled to Mexico and that they would be delivered Monday, authorities said. “But it’s risky and dangerous to use a real animal, so we had to use a willing substitute–an agent in a gorilla outfit,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Dan Gelber said. Read Article