El Paso Zoo patron fired from law firm after feeding Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to spider monkeys

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Inside the exhibit, the woman can be seen leaning against a rock and reaching out to the exotic animals before proceeding to feed them, of all things, flamin’ hot Cheetos. The monkeys preferred diet consists of 90 percent fruit and seeds, followed by young leaves, flowers, aerial roots, bark, decayed wood and honey — but that didn’t stop the woman from smiling and laughing as she walked back through the moat and out of the enclosure.

It didn’t take long for her employer, or zoo officials, to catch wind of the video.

“The firm has always been a strong supporter of animals and animal advocacy,” the Lovett Law Firm said in a statement via their official Instagram page. “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.”

Zoo director Joe Montisano called the woman “stupid” and “lucky,” per Shammas, adding that zoo officials want her to face charges.

The monkeys, Libby and Sunday, were thankfully unharmed during the filming of the video, but things could have gone very differently for the woman, given the monkeys’ canine teeth and natural aggressive behavior when their territory is invaded.

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“It takes years to build trust with these animals and for someone to come in there for five minutes for a video on Instagram or whatever just ruins years of work,” Zookeeper Mason Kleist shared with ABC-7.

It’s unknown at this time what criminal charges will be brought against the woman, but the days of a low-fenced enclosure may be coming to an end because of her actions.