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Man arrested after monkeys stolen from Dallas Zoo in US

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An emperor tamarin monkey that had gone missing from the Dallas Zoo was found inside the closet of an abandoned home.
An emperor tamarin monkey that had gone missing from the Dallas Zoo was found inside the closet of an abandoned home.
HANDOUT / @DALLASPD / AFP
  • A man was arrested over the theft of emperor tamarin monkeys from a zoo in the US. 
  • The Dallas Zoon has been struck by a spate of unusual incidents involving their animals lately. 
  • The missing monkeys were found in an abandoned home in Lancaster. 


A 24-year-old man has been arrested over the theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys from Dallas Zoo, police said on Friday, adding he was detained after being spotted at the city aquarium.

The zoo has been hit by a recent spate of missing animals and other bizarre incidents, including a breach in the enclosure of a clouded leopard that was later found within zoo grounds.

The two missing monkeys were discovered in an abandoned home in Lancaster, 25km away, a day after going missing on Monday.

Police had issued a photograph of a man in a hoodie and asked the public for help in identifying him.

"Dallas Police received a tip (Davion) Irvin was seen at the Dallas Aquarium near animal exhibits," police said in a statement.

Irvin got on a metro train and was arrested after disembarking. He was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and taken to the county jail.

An endangered lappet-faced vulture at the zoo was recently found dead from a wound in what officials said were "unusual" circumstances.

Extra security cameras and increased overnight patrols have been introduced to protect the animals.

Emperor tamarins are small monkeys with long white whiskers that sweep back from their face, and are named for their likeness to German emperor Wilhelm II.



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