Police are seeking the public’s help in locating animals stolen from Elmvale Jungle Zoo.
According to police, on May 29, Huronia West OPP responded to a break and enter call at the Elmvale Jungle Zoo in Springwater. Police say that as a result of the break-in, a suspect stole three animals from the zoo.
An 18-inch tortoise named Stanley, a black and white lemur named JC, and a black baby gibbon named Agnes are missing from the premises. Police estimate the value of the stolen animals is over $20,000.
According to police, the suspect entered the zoo sometime between 10 p.m. on May 28, and 6:30 a.m. on May 29. They believe the suspect entered the zoo by cutting a hole in a chain-link fence. Police say the fence is visible to vehicles travelling on County Road 27, and are seeking anyone who may have witnessed the incident.
Police say after cutting a hole in the fence, the suspect walked through the flamingo pond corral, and gained access to the stolen animals.
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A spokesperson for the Elmvale Jungle Zoo, Marina Hyugen, says it has not yet received any information or leads into who may have taken the animals.
However, she says the zoo has been trying to circulate their photos in case anyone has seen them. “They’re exotic lemurs and a gibbon, so you can’t really miss them if you were to see them, but we are trying to get their faces out there,” she said.
Hyugen says that the animals require special care, so ensuring they are returned to the zoo soon is crucial.
“They require specialized diets, and they were fed at the same time every day, by their family, the zookeepers who have been here for years and years. They grew up here in this environment so we are hoping to get them back as soon as possible because we don’t know who took them, and we don’t know what kind of care they are in. We just want to get them back as soon as possible,” she said.
According to Hyugen, aside from the cut fence and missing animals, no other damages were reported at the facility.
Police are asking anyone with information to please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information is also accepted online at http://www.p3tips.com.
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