Modification to Spider Monkey Exhibit at El Paso Zoo Underway after Trespassing Incident

Work has begun on the fence surrounding the Spider monkey exhibit, El Paso Zoo officials announced.

According to the city press release, contractors have started raising the fence around the enclosure by welding additional fencing to the top of what already exists.

One side of the structure has already been completed, and when modifications to the entire project are finished, zoo officials say it will provide the Spider Monkeys an extra level of security without blocking the view for guests.

The Now Infamous Hot Cheetos Breach

As I'm sure you likely heard or read, fortification of the exhibit was made necessary following some monkey business in May in which a woman was filmed climbing into the enclosure so she could hand-feed the resident Spider monkeys.

Lucy Rae was identified as the trespasser in the video that went viral locally. The news story itself made national and international headlines.

The recording, taken after Rae breached the Spider Monkey enclosure, showed her standing just a few feet away from the primates, who could be seen reaching for food she throws in their direction.

At one point, after she sits down underneath the waterfall, one of the monkeys gets close enough to grab whatever it is she is feeding them from her hand before scampering off. According to FitFam El Paso, which first posted the video, she fed them Hot Cheetos although that was never verified.

Dismissal and Arrest

The 26-year-old's very public shenanigans led to her almost immediately getting fired from her job at a law firm, however less than 48 hours after her dismissal she was hired by another El Paso law firm who then blasted her previous employer on social media.

El Paso PD arrested Luz Elizabeth Rae for Criminal Trespass on May 27. She was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a $1,500 bond, posted bond and was released the same day. El Paso County Criminal Case records show the current status of the case as "Pre-File Case Inactive."