Florida wildlife officials filed criminal charges following the killing of a monkey that had been hauled to a Miami hazardous waste plant.
The young macaque escaped notice in January when it was being unpacked and was discarded at BC US, a research primate importer in Hendry County, near Immokalee.
It was then discovered alive five days later in a Miami hazardous waste bin and had to be euthanized.
BC US President Mark Bushmitz is facing second-degree misdemeanor charges for allowing the escape of Class II wildlife. He could face 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
BC US was also the site of another accident in which two monkeys died after spending the night in an overheated clinic where temperatures reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The USDA, which also oversees such facilities, issued a “critical violation” in both cases.
BC US acknowledged both incidents and said it has changed protocols. Phone calls, texts and emails to the company seeking comment about the charges were not immediately returned.
Earlier this month, BC US spokeswoman Anupah Makoond told The News-Press/Naples Daily News “That was human error.”
“The (standard operating procedure) was there; there were instructions on how to do the headcount, but it wasn’t followed and there was a loss of life … We’re not happy about it (and) we beefed up the protocol to have a second and third person verify.”The nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has dubbed this the ‘dumpster monkey’ case, is calling for BC US to lose its permit to possess animals for commercial use over “failure on every level”
As for what prompted the FWC to file charges, PETA primatologist and senior science advisor Lisa Jones-Engel wrote in an email: “Be it the egregiousness of the violation of Florida laws … or possibly what (FWC) Agent Corteguera felt on 2/11/2026 when he saw that monkey in the tiny stainless steel cage, an animal who had been taken from his family, shipped across the world, ended up trapped in a dumpster terrified, cold and alone for five days and who then had escaped, was recaptured, returned to the same system and ultimately killed, I am simply grateful the agency has acted.”
—This is a developing story. Come back to The News-Press/Naples Daily News for updates.
Amy Bennett Williams is a senior reporter. Reach her at at awilliams@news-press.com.
Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News; download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Criminal charges in ‘dumpster monkey’ case at SW Florida primate farm
Reporting by Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
