Police Are Asking For Your Help After A Monkey & Birds Were Stolen From Ontario Zoo
"I wish I had them back. I don't see that happening again."
Greenview Aviaries Park and Zoo have had several exotic birds and one squirrel monkey stolen from their enclosures and police are asking the public for help to bring these critters home.
The animals were stolen in three incidents between October 2021and November 2021 where thieves forced their way into the zoo and broke open the animal's enclosures at night, according to the zoo's co-owner, Brian Daly.
Chatham-Kent Police public information officer Renee Cowell told Narcity they "do not have any information as to why the animals were stolen" and that they have "exhausted [their] investigative leads."
"Our priority right now is to locate the animals to ensure their health and safety and ultimately return them to their rightful owners," said Cowell. "In doing so, we hope to identify those responsible for the theft and hold them accountable for their actions."
Daly says in 38 seasons of being open, they have never had any animals stolen until now.
"We always lock everything up for sure, but that's why we didn't put an investment into an alarm system and security and stuff like that because it just wasn't a thing that ever happened to us."
Daly says he believes the animals were stolen to be sold and that whoever got the monkey out of its enclosure must have had some knowledge of "what they were doing to get him out of the cage."
"I called a friend of mine that has a zoo, and I asked him if anyone tried to sell him a little monkey or a couple of pairs of birds or anything [and] that they were stolen from me."
"He said if anything comes up like that, he'd call the police right away– but that didn't happen either."
Daly says he hopes the animals "are safe and doing well."
"I wish I had them back. I don't ever see that happening again."
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.