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A suspect has been arrested after being caught on camera allegedly trespassing into a spider monkey enclosure at the El Paso Zoo, according to authorities.
Luz Elizabeth Rae, 26, was charged with criminal trespassing, El Paso police said Thursday. She was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a $1,500 bond.
The El Paso Zoo had planned to press charges against her and the zoo's director, Joe Montisano, said Wednesday they would talk to the district attorney.
Luz Elizabeth Rae, 26, was arrested after she was caught trespassing into a Texas zoo's spider monkey enclosure, police said (El Paso Police Department)
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"This young lady decided to hop a fence, climb through some bushes, drop down into a four-feet deep moat, walk across the moat and then try to feed the spider monkeys," he said.
"We can’t let this behavior go unpunished," Montisano added.
In viral footage posted to the Real Fit Fam El Paso Instagram account, the suspect can be seen sitting underneath a waterfall and attempting to feed the spider monkeys with what zoo officials told Newsweek was Hot Cheetos.
Speaking with KVIA-TV on Monday, zookeeper Mason Kleist said that in addition to putting herself in danger the suspect had potentially endangered the animals as well, especially considering their special dietary needs.
Spider monkeys largely eat fruit, nuts, bird eggs, leaves, and spiders, according to National Geographic.
Kleist also claimed that the suspect had put the animals at risk of contracting coronavirus.
"She’s very fortunate that it didn’t have a worse outcome for her or the animals," Montisano said. "These are primates. They are strong; they have canine teeth. They can scratch. We don’t interact with them on the daily. And we don’t interact with them without a barrier in between us."
In a statement provided to Fox News via email on Wednesday, Montisano said police were determining what charges would be brought against the suspect.
"We want all of our guests to come and visit the Zoo, enjoy the facility and the animals but certainly to follow the rules. The rules are there to protect our guests, the animals and our staff," he said. "We are now forced to look at ways to modify the exhibit to prevent this from happening again."
The El Paso Police Department told Fox News it was continuing to investigate the case.
"The El Paso Police Department is investigating a case involving a woman who trespassed into a monkey enclosure at the El Paso Zoo," the department wrote in an email.
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The suspect has reportedly been fired from her job.
In a statement posted to Facebook, El Paso's Lovett Law Firm shareholder Nora Artalejo Lovett wrote Monday in support of the facility and its animals.
"We learned this morning that the individual who was filmed trespassing in the spider monkey enclosure of the El Paso Zoo was an employee of Lovett Law Firm. She has been terminated," Lovett said.
"The firm has always been a strong supporter of animals and animal advocacy. We absolutely do not condone this irresponsible and reckless behavior. We support the El Paso Zoo and our thoughts go out to the spider monkeys, Libby and Sunday, and hope that they will recover from this very traumatic experience," she added.
KVIA reported that Rae worked as a litigation assistant under the firm's personal injury division.
In addition, Montisano said Wednesday that the zoo may be making some changes to the exhibit, which is enclosed by a low fence and has a moat as an added barrier.
Spider monkeys cannot swim and are reportedly afraid of the water.
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"Unfortunately, this may change all that because of this one lady’s unfortunate actions," he said.
The El Paso Times said on Monday that security had since been increased.
Just months earlier, a video posted to the same account in March showed a parent lowering a child over a protective barricade near an El Paso Zoo chimpanzee exhibit.
Fox News' David Aaro and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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