Police arrested a man Thursday who allegedly stole two emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo and left them in an abandoned home.
Law enforcement booked Davion Irvin, 24, after a Dallas World Aquarium employee informed the department that the suspect was in the building. Before the employee called the police, Irvin had apparently approached them to ask questions about one of the aquarium’s animals. Recognizing Irivin from the news, the employee reported him to the police, an aquarium spokesman told the New York Post.
Police located and arrested Irvin as he got onto a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) train. Authorities charged Irivin with six counts of animal cruelty in connection to the monkey kidnapping, Fox 4 reported.
Alleged Dallas Zoo monkey thief arrested while lurking in aquarium https://t.co/R8xHr3Ayii pic.twitter.com/fHRrnOhGp1
— New York Post (@nypost) February 3, 2023
Irvin allegedly stole the two emperor tamarin monkey from the zoo on Jan. 30, taking them to an abandoned house in Lancaster, Texas, Fox 4 reported. Dallas and Lancaster police departments launched a joint effort and discovered the monkeys Monday.
January proved to be a chaotic month for the Dallas Zoo, starting with the disappearance of its clouded snow leopard, Nova, prompting the zoo to close to look for her. Dallas police opened an investigation after her enclosure was seemingly cut open on purpose, CNN reported. After discovering the leopard near its enclosure, zoo staffers found similar cuts made in the langur monkey exhibit, though none of them escaped, according to the outlet.
The zoo later grieved after its 35-year-old lappet-faced vulture, Pin, unexpectedly died. Pin died in his enclosure with “an unusual wound and injuries,” nudging the zoo to believe he did not die of natural causes, President and CEO Gregg Hudson told the outlet.