Dallas police locate monkeys missing from Dallas Zoo since Monday
The two monkeys who disappeared from their habitat at the Dallas Zoo after the enclosure had been tampered with have been found alive, according to an update from zoo officials and police.
Dallas police said that they found the monkeys, which went missing Monday, in a closet at an abandoned home in Lancaster on Tuesday afternoon. Zoo officials sent a team to transport the emperor tamarin monkeys back to the zoo, where they will be examined by veterinarians.
Dallas officers, with the help of the Lancaster Police Department, retrieved the animals about 4:50 p.m. after receiving a tip about their location, police said in a statement.
The house was empty when police arrived. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
This is the latest in a string of incidents at the zoo in which officials say the habitats of animals, including some endangered, have been intentionally tampered with. On Jan. 22, the zoo announced an endangered vulture had died with a suspicious wound after its enclosure had been tampered with.
About a week before, a clouded leopard, Nova, got out of her habitat after someone broke into it, according to the zoo. Also recently, another monkey enclosure was found to be cut into. None of those monkeys went missing.
Nova was later found in the zoo and returned to her exhibit, according to officials.
When the monkeys were discovered missing Monday, Dallas Zoo officials said they suspected that they were stolen from their habitat because they were surprised when the animals, which typically stay close to home, could not be located on zoo property.
Police earlier in the day Tuesday asked the public to help them identify a person who might have information about the disappearance of the monkeys.
This story was originally published January 31, 2023 at 6:19 PM.