Nowra Wildlife Park (Old) another zoo, another stolen marmoset

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

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15+ year member
there's been a saddening number of these thefts lately :(
Broken heart could kill missing monkey - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Keepers from a New South Wales wildlife park say a little monkey stolen from the facility on the weekend could die of a broken heart if not returned soon.

Cheeky, a marmoset twin, was last seen huddled up with her sister and other marmosets in their enclosure at Nowra Wildlife Park just before 2:00am on Saturday.

Keeper Trent Burton says the marmosets are very social animals and he fears separation anxiety could lead Cheeky to become ill or even die.

"She is one of a set of twins, they are very tight, they are very social, they groom each other," he said.

"Even when they are not in physical contact they"ll sort of verbal groom, chittering and chattering to each other to reaffirm where they are in the exhibit.

"They suffer from stress and being separated from her twin and other marmosets would be very upsetting for her."

Nowra police have been called in to investigate the disappearance.

The cage of the marmoset enclosure had been bent open in the theft.

Mr Burton says despite the cuddly appearance of the marmosets, they do not make good pets.

"We feed the animals five times a day for enrichment, to keep them active and healthy and entertained, it's all very important, so a pet monkey is not a good idea," he said.

"Every child at heart has a thought about having a monkey as a pet, but it is a running joke in the zoo industry that once you have worked with monkeys, the idea of having one as a pet is not a good one."

Mr Burton has appealed for whoever has taken Cheeky to return her to the park or drop her off at a veterinary clinic.

Five months ago eight monkeys were stolen from Symbio Willife Park at Helensburgh.

All but one, a Tamarind named Rico, were later recovered.
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Three in one year certainly rings alarm bells, as does the fact that two of the three thefts have been within 110km of each other.

Best of luck to Nowra that the monkey is found safe and sound. Is she one of your brood Steve?
 
Cheeky, ... was last seen huddled up with her sister ... just before 2:00am on Saturday.
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2:00am? Methinks thats a mistake.
 
Does anyone think that all these robberies of marmosets are linked to each other, by the same people?

This has seriously got to stop
 
Hix said:
2:00am? Methinks thats a mistake.
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this from another site: Marmoset monkey stolen from Nowra park - Local News - News - General - Illawarra Mercury
A young marmoset monkey has been stolen from Nowra Wildlife Animal Park.

The three-year-old monkey, Cheeky, was stolen some time between 2.30am and 7.30am today.

Nowra Wildlife Park marketing manager Katie Allen said Cheeky was one of eight marmosets at the park and the other monkeys were distressed by her disappearance.

She said the onsite keeper did a routine check of the park after hearing dogs barking and noticed the wire around the marmosets' enclosure had been pulled away.

"We want everyone to keep an eye out and if they hear or see anything suspicious to call CrimeStoppers," Ms Allen said.

"We just want to get Cheeky back."
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CGSwans said:
Three in one year certainly rings alarm bells, as does the fact that two of the three thefts have been within 110km of each other.

Best of luck to Nowra that the monkey is found safe and sound. Is she one of your brood Steve?
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No. The Nowra family originated from National Zoo stock.

This is certainly a very worrying escalation of this vile activity. I know that we have taken extra steps to try to safeguard our animals and I would expect that other zoos have as well.

However, as [I think] Zoopro said on this forum some time ago, it is virtually impossible to stop a determined thief gaining unlawful entry to a zoo or park.

Let's face it, if a bank can't keep robbers out or a gaol can't keep inmates in, what chance does a zoo have?
 
I assume that they would not make good pets, you couldnt have them openly as it is illegal, what then would a person do with them? I truelly don't understand the mindset.
 
That's quite correct jay - they do NOT make good pets.

In an interactive experience, in a sufficiently large habitat, they will take food from you, jump all over you and generally have the time of their lives. But - it's all on their terms. Try to hold one and restrain it and you will get a nasty bite.

I don't quite know what to make of these three thefts. I doubt that they are being stolen for export [they really aren't worth much overseas], if kept as "pets" in Australia someone is going to dob sooner or later - I can only think that some ***** "wants one" and has to have one come what may. After the first theft, don't rule out copycats either.

The "want one" theory fits with the fact that only one was stolen from Nowra. In the middle of the night it would be so easy to take the lot in their sleeping box.
 
Police raid on Koonawarra home uncovers monkey - Local News - News - General - Illawarra Mercury
A marmoset monkey stolen from a Nowra animal park on Sunday has been reunited with its family and twin after it was rescued during a police raid at Koonawarra yesterday.
The female monkey, nicknamed "Cheeky" was found after anonymous tip-offs to police and Nowra Wildlife Park.

Lake Illawarra police executed a search warrant on a house in Illabunda Cres at Koonawarra yesterday and found the monkey in a bedroom.

A 20-year-old woman was located at the scene and charged with having stolen goods in custody. She was granted conditional bail and will appear before Wollongong Local Court on December 7.

The park's head zookeeper Trent Burton said yesterday the marmoset was probably not the planned target of the heist, with the thieves more likely to be after a large South American iguana which was kept nearby.

He said the house police raided was equipped with several reptile enclosures and paraphernalia, including rodent breeding tubs and a turtle tank.

"When I went to the house [Cheeky] was actually free-ranging in a bedroom," he said.

"From what I could tell I think they [the residents of the house] were playing a little bit dumb."

Mr Burton said Cheeky seemed stressed but he was filled with relief when it responded to a training drill involving touching a red dot on the end of a stick.

"She knew what was going on," he said.

"I got out the target ... she came out, she touched the red dot, I picked her up [and] put her in a pillowcase so she was nice and snug."

Mr Burton said the iguana was "quite elusive" and the thieves may have been unable to catch it - so they stole the marmoset.

Mr Burton said it would be hard to keep a pet monkey a secret, and thanked the people who did the right thing and called in with information.

"Too often people keep their mouths shut," he said.

"For these people to have a conscience and have the animal's best interests at heart - they were really the key."

He said he hoped the perpetrators would be punished in order to send a message that stealing animals was not on.

"For the industry's sake there really needs to be harsh penalties," he said.

In June, eight rare monkeys were stolen from Symbio Wildlife Park at Helensburgh.

Three of the four cotton-top tamarins taken in the theft were later found in a park in Auburn in Sydney. The fourth, named Rico, has not been found.

The other four, all pygmy marmosets, were found dumped at an Auburn vet.

Last month two cotton-top tamarins were stolen from Alma Park Zoo, north of Brisbane.
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koonawarra is within the Lake Ilawarra Local Area Command.That's where I work. I wish I was working that shift. It would have been a good job to go to.
 
Geeez - glad the little one was found & returned to her family!

If I owned a zoo with exotic monkeys, they would have at least 10 security cameras pointed at each enclosure.
 
Now let's see if the courts come up with a suitable sentence or if they just go to water like they usually do.
 
Ara said:
Now let's see if the courts come up with a suitable sentence or if they just go to water like they usually do.
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Ara, Ara - where's your sense of compassion?

The poor thieves could have had a deprived childhood and merely adopted the little critter as a mother substitute. They certainly couldn't have been subjected to normal parenting if they were out and about with felonious intent at 2.30am.
 
Aw Steve; now you've made me feel terrible!:p

Looking back, I suppose those thugs who bashed that venerable old flamingo at Adelaide zoo a while ago were just getting back at society for being unfair to them, too.;)
 
Ara said:
Aw Steve; now you've made me feel terrible!:p

Looking back, I suppose those thugs who bashed that venerable old flamingo at Adelaide zoo a while ago were just getting back at society for being unfair to them, too.;)
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Now you see how it works!

Judges and magistrates are just way ahead of us in interpreting the reasons why these goons behave in the way that they do.

What rights do flamingos and marmosets have anyway? If it weren't for animals then these misfits would be taking out their frustrations on humans.

Oh...........do they? There goes that theory.
 
I once read a (I suppose you'd call it science fiction) book called "Taronga" and set in the apocalyptic future, in which the tigers at Taronga were let out each evening to roam the zoo and put back in their enclosure each morning.

What a great little deterrent against after-hours intruders that'd be!
 
Ara said:
I once read a (I suppose you'd call it science fiction) book called "Taronga" and set in the apocalyptic future, in which the tigers at Taronga were let out each evening to roam the zoo and put back in their enclosure each morning.

What a great little deterrent against after-hours intruders that'd be!
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Why do you think Taronga's marmosets have never been stolen?

:p :p :p

Hix
 
Well, the young lady found in possession of the stolen marmoset claimed in court that she thought it was a possum (yeah, right!). She was apparently maintaining it on a diet of Froot Loops.

She got fined $2,000.
 
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