(KRON) -- A baby monkey was likely abducted from her mother by poachers before she became someone's illegal exotic pet in California, Oakland Zoo officials told KRON4. The adorable five-month-old monkey was rescued from a suspected DUI driver earlier this week during a bizarre traffic stop. She is now receiving critical veterinary care in Oakland. Collen Kinzley, vice president of animal care at Oakland Zoo, said people involved in the exotic pet trade will shoot a wild baby monkey's mother before selling the baby to buyers through social media marketplaces. "The mothers are shot way high up in the trees. The poachers take the little babies ... a lot of them die," Kinzley said. Primates are illegal to own as pets in California. A rescued baby spider monkey is seen at the Oakland Zoo. (Image courtesy Oakland Zoo) On New Year’s Eve, the malnourished female spider monkey was found clinging to a suspected DUI driver in the Central Valley, California Highway Patrol officers said. CHP officers had stopped the driver's Rolls Royce Ghost for speeding on Highway 99 in Madera County. The driver was identified as 27-year-old Ali Mused Adel Mohamed. Officers arrested Mohamed on suspicion of DUI and illegal possession of an exotic animal, the CHP said. (Photo courtesy CHP Madera) The spider monkey was taken to Madera County’s Animal Services before it was transported by California Department of Fish & Wildlife officials to the Oakland Zoo. The rescued monkey is extremely under-nourished and is suffering from a respiratory infection, according to the Oakland Zoo. She's now on a rough road to recovery. "We are very concerned about her physical and emotional well-being. She should be with her mother. She would be with her mother for two years nursing. She needs to be fed around the clock. We are trying very hard to try to help her make it," Kinzley said. Baby spider monkeys are one of the most highly trafficked types of illegal exotic pets, Kinzley said. "This is a highly endangered species," she added. "It is so unfortunate that there is a demand for these animals. Her life will never be what it should have been." (Images courtesy Oakland Zoo) Most primate infants that are poached for the exotic pet trade do not survive their first year due to poor care, according to the Oakland Zoo. "Be an informed consumer and think twice before you purchase an exotic pet," zoo officials wrote.