The discovery

At approximately 06:40 on the morning of 17 July 2026, three Ukrainian citizens travelling in a car with Ukrainian registration plates presented themselves for border formalities at the Moravița crossing point in western Romania. Border police officers, together with customs workers, carried out a thorough inspection of the vehicle. In the trunk, they found two boxes. When they opened the boxes, they discovered four live monkeys inside. The animals were identified as belonging to the driver, a 47-year-old woman.

The driver's explanation

The driver told the officers that the monkeys were an inheritance from her mother, who had died recently. She was unable to present any legal documents regarding the animals' provenance, ownership, or transport. Instead, she showed authorities only a photograph of a document that she claimed was an import act for the monkeys from Syria into Ukraine. The border police noted that this photograph did not satisfy the legal requirements for bringing live animals into the European Union.

“She stated that the monkeys were inherited from her mother, who died recently.”

CITES and EU import rules

The Romanian Customs Authority later confirmed that all primate species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Under both European and national legislation, the introduction of CITES-listed animals into EU territory is permitted only on the basis of specific documents. The driver possessed none of these. The case underscores the strict controls at EU external borders aimed at preventing wildlife trafficking.

Investigation and animal custody

Following the discovery, border police ordered legal measures and launched an investigation to establish all the circumstances. The exact nature of the charges has not been disclosed. The four monkeys were handed over to representatives of the Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate of Timiș (DSVSA Timiș), which will now care for the animals while the legal process unfolds.

“Legal measures have been ordered in the case, and investigations are continuing to establish all circumstances and to take the necessary legal measures. The four monkeys were handed over to representatives of the Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate of Timiș.”