Sometime between when the zoo closed Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday, someone hopped the fence, got into the zoo and used bolt cutters to open two cages with lemurs and monkeys inside. https://t.co/pCx9KSOvc2
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 31, 2018
Zookeepers and animal control officers got the capuchin monkeys back in their cage, but the lemur was nowhere to be found.
That was until they got a call.
"While we were setting up a plan to start an area search of the zoo, we got a call from Newport Beach police," Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told KNBC.
Stealing a lemur is actually a federal crime. Lemurs are an endangered species, Bertagna told KNBC.
"It sounds more like at this point that it was some kind of prank or a challenge because they placed (the lemur) in a public area in a secure box with a note," Bertagana told KNBC.
The animals are all secure in the zoo and are OK after their ordeal.
About the Author