Police in Dallas, Texas, announced that they discovered a pair of emperor tamarin monkeys, believed to have been “intentionally taken” from the Dallas zoo on Monday, in a closet of an abandoned home.
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) noted on its DPD Beat website that officers retrieved the monkeys, named Bella and Finn, after receiving an anonymous tip which led to a home in nearby Lancaster.
Officers with the DPD and Lancaster Police Department made entry into the abandoned residence and “the monkeys were found in a closet,” the DPD noted.
In Facebook post on Monday, the Dallas Zoo explained that it had “alerted the Dallas Police Department after the animal care team discovered two of our emperor tamarin monkeys were missing,” adding, “It was clear the habitat had been intentionally compromised.”
Dallas police agreed with the zoo’s assessment, writing on DPD Beat that “the preliminary investigation determined an intentional cut was made into” the habitat.
Police added they “believed the animals were intentionally taken from the enclosure.”
No arrests have been made, but an investigation remains ongoing, police said. However, the DPD did release a picture of a person they are “looking to speak with.”
The man is seen wearing a blue hoodie, black sweat pants, and a winter hat. He also appears to be carrying a bag of Doritos. It is not clear why police want to speak with the individual in the picture.
Police have asked the public for any information concerning the case of the formerly missing tamarin monkeys. They can be reached at 214-671-4509.
The Dallas Zoo staff wrote in a Facebook post that they are “thrilled beyond belief” that the monkeys have been located and returned.
On Wednesday afternoon, the zoo said that the monkies had lost “a bit of weight” but that their veterinarians had determined they showed “no signs of injury.”
Additionally. the zoo is offering a 25,000 reward “for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person(s) responsible for these incidents.”
In a similar incident from mid-January, a leopard went missing from the Dallas Zoo after the fence surrounding its enclosure was cut, Breitbart News reported. The animal was ultimately found near its enclosure and placed back inside of it.
A second cut was reportedly found surrounding an enclosure that housed langur monkeys in the days after the leopard escaped. The monkeys remained in their enclosure and appeared unharmed. It is unclear whether these events are related to Monday’s monkey business.
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