Monkey shot dead as Mexican cartels’ passion for exotic pets leaves bloody toll

Spider monkey dressed up as gang mascot killed in shootout, and man dies in Michoacan after trying to pet captive tiger

Mexican narcos' fascination with exotic animals has been on display this week after a spider monkey dressed up as a drug gang mascot was killed in a shootout, a 200kg tiger wandered the streets in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit, and a man died after trying to pet a captive tiger in a cartel-dominated area of western Michoacan state.

Eleven suspected gang members died in the shootout on Tuesday in the state of Mexico, which surrounds the capital. Photos from the scene showed a small monkey dressed in a tiny camouflage jacket and a tiny bulletproof" vest sprawled across the body of a dead gunman.