Airports and train stations have been put on alert after five rare and critically endangered monkeys were poached from Blackpool Zoo, with police believing that the primates “stolen to order”.
Three cotton-top tamarin monkeys, including a mother and baby, and two emperor tamarins were stolen in a carefully planned and executed heist on Tuesday night, where the thieves cut a hole in the perimeter fence and cut through two locks on the monkey enclosures to make off with the animals.
All the monkeys require specialist care and keepers are very concerned about their welfare, as Blackpool Zoo director Darren Webster said:
“We are extremely saddened by the theft of these monkeys and it is imperative they receive the correct care in order to survive.
All the animals were born here at Blackpool Zoo and are part of our zoo family, so I would like to urge anyone with any information to contact the police.”
PC Steve Higgs, of Blackpool Police, said:
“It would appear from the way that these thieves have broken into the zoo that this was a planned and pre-meditated crime and that the offenders knew what they were looking for and knew that the monkeys would be in the enclosures.
I would appeal for anyone who has any information or any witnesses who saw anything suspicious on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning to get in touch. It may be that there were dog walkers around at that time who may have seen people acting suspiciously.
I would also appeal to anyone who may be offered these animals for sale to contact the police.”
Andy McWilliam, Investigations Officer at the National Wildlife Crime Unit, added:
“There is definitely a market for these monkeys and we are making enquiries across Europe in a bid to try and trace them.”
Anyone with information has been asked to contact contact police quoting log number 0583 of 30 April.
