The Dallas Zoo said the two monkeys believed to have been removed from their habitat on Monday have been found.
Dallas police said they found the two emperor tamarins after being tipped. Police said they then drove to the empty Lancaster home, just south of Dallas, and found the monkeys safe in a closet.
“We are thrilled beyond belief to share that our two emperor tamarins have been found,” zoo officials said in a statement. “DPD located the animals early this evening and called our team to come secure and bring the tamarins back to the zoo. They will be assessed by our vets this evening.”
Zoo officials added that more information would be released on Wednesday while details on the recovery will be released by Dallas police.
No arrests were made.
The empty building where the monkeys were found was recently broken into and filled with wildlife, according to a nearby church that owned the property and planned to use it as a youth center.
Dallas Police Officers in Dallas and Lancaster found the missing emperor tamarins from the Dallas Zoo in an abandoned house on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Dallas police on Tuesday asked for help identifying a man they say they want to talk to about the case. Detectives said they wanted to speak with the man “about the two missing tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo,” but provided a few other details.
“We contacted the authorities saying we thought we knew who the person was and how we had recent break-ins at our youth center which we tried to get started for the community,” said Tanya, the daughter of the pastor of the church who wished to be identified by his first name.
“Someone came back in there and destroyed it even more,” she said. “So that’s setting us back even further in terms of setting up the facility. But it was definitely a shock to see those precious, you know, animals were in there.”
A spokesperson for the church’s Family Center said the organization was working with police to identify the person responsible.
“The intruder not only caused significant damage to the facilities of the youth center, but also endangered the safety of the animals and the community. Despite the setback, the church remains committed to its mission to provide support and resources to those in need and works closely with local authorities to ensure that the culprit is brought to justice,” the spokesperson said.
It is the fourth suspicious incident at the zoo since the start of the new year – the first involving a clouded leopard, Nova, which escaped from its enclosure after police discovered it had been intentionally cut. As Dallas police opened a criminal investigation, zoo staff members discovered a similar intentional cut the next day on the enclosure that houses langur monkeys, all of which have been found. More recently, an endangered vulture was found dead with an “unusual injury”, zoo officials said. Dallas police later said they were investigating the death as suspicious.
