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Two emperor tamarin monkeys were stolen. An endangered vulture mysteriously caused the death. A gash appeared in the langur monkey enclosure. A clouded leopard escaped from her habitat.
The twenty-four-year-old Davion Irvin was charged with six counts of animal cruelty by the Dallas Police Department. The Police are still investigating whether the man was involved in other incidents. Over the span of a few weeks, the Dallas Zoo experienced a string of suspicious events, which culminated in the arrest of a suspect on Friday morning, who is believed to be connected to the missing monkeys.
According to J. David Goodman of the New York Times, Harrison Edell, the executive vice president for animal care and conservation at the zoo, expresses, “It has been a series of devastating blows.”
All monkeys were taken into consideration, however, the staff found a cut that resembled the one in Nova’s enclosure in the langur monkey habitat the following day. After approximately 6.5 hours of searching, they discovered her only about 100 yards away from her habitat on the zoo premises. A harmless animal was roaming free, resulting in the issuance of a “code blue” alert and the closure of the zoo by officials. The series of issues started on January 13 when Nova managed to escape through a man-made hole in her enclosure, which is also the home of a clouded leopard.
In the United States, Pin, a 35-year-old avian called, was one of only 27 in confinement and one of four lappet-faced vultures at the zoo. Following an uncertain injury, seven days later, a scarce and imperiled lappet-faced vulture, one of approximately 6,500 remaining on the Earth as per the zoo’s records, passed away.
“On January 22, the zoo posted on Twitter that the animal caretakers are devastated by this enormous tragedy. The demise does not seem to be due to natural reasons, and the details surrounding the demise are peculiar.”
Despite the efforts of veterinarians, an examination determined that the animals showed no sign of injury, though they had lost some weight. After being safely returned to the zoo in Texas, Bella and Finn, two emperor tamarin monkeys, were later found in an abandoned closet in a home in Lancaster, a couple of days later. Following these incidents, the zoo ramped up security by increasing overnight staff and adding extra cameras. They were taken from their habitat on January 30.
The zoo expressed on Facebook, ‘We are extremely relieved that they are unharmed and have been reunited with us, however, we will maintain a close watch on them for the time being.’ The zoo clarified, ‘Since they were taken away from the premises, they will have to undergo a quarantine period before being reintroduced to their Zoo habitat.’ ‘They will not be back in the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo habitat for a little while longer,’ the zoo added.
The events are a “reminder” that we all need to be vigilant in protecting animals in national parks and zoos, as CEO and president Dan Ashe tells NPR’s Jaclyn Diaz.
“The association, in a statement, refers to the victims of actions that are believed to be aimed at capturing animals for personal motives or, even worse, for trafficking purposes, and supports both the zoo and its animals.”
Each year, the estimated worth of wildlife trafficking ranges from $7.8 billion to $10 billion. The poaching and trafficking of endangered species like pangolins, tigers, and elephants are significant factors contributing to the decline in their populations.
Both lemurs were safely returned. Another lemur was stolen from the San Francisco Zoo and later taken from the Santa Ana Zoo two years later. In 2017, poachers broke into a French zoo, hacked off and killed its rhinos’ horn, and shot. The thefts of animals were reported by 25 members of the European Association of Aquaria and Zoos in 2015, as Katharine Gammon wrote in The Guardian four years ago. Animal thefts from zoos are not unheard of.
The police are investigating the theft of 12 monkeys from a zoo in Louisiana. The monkeys, Bella and Finn, were stolen just two days before on January 28. At this time, there is no known connection between the two cases.
According to Matt Stieb from Intelligencer, Ed Hansen, the CEO of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, expresses his concern by saying, “The synchronicity is somewhat worrisome.” He further explains that individuals soon discover, without intending any humor, that they have taken on a more challenging task than they anticipated when an individual absconds with an animal from a zoo… These animals are endangered species and have specific dietary requirements–they are not your typical domesticated feline. It is common for people to come to the realization that they are unable to care for these animals and subsequently release them back into their natural habitat.