A dead monkey has been found in a shipping container at a timber facility by biosecurity officers in Whangarei.
The primate's dehydrated body was found squeezed between sawn timber packs by a staff member last week, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) said in a statement.
The container had arrived from Guyana, South America.
Upon discovering the monkey, which was in poor condition, workers at BBS Timbers alerted Biosecurity New Zealand which advised how to remove the monkey.
"The whole response worked extremely well. We were contacted by the business very early and our officers quickly jumped into gear," said Biosecurity New Zealand spokesperson Stu Rawnsley.
"You can't ask for anything more than that when it comes to protecting New Zealand from biosecurity risk."
Rawnsley said this was one of his team's more unusual interceptions.
The species has not been identified.
