Le Figaro Nice
But where have the Saïmiris - or squirrel monkeys - gone from the Tropical Zoological Garden of La Londe-les-Maures (Var)?
One thing is certain, fourteen of them were missing on Saturday January 27, when the caregivers came to meet them as they do every day.
Would they have left?
No, of course.
Because although these primates are gifted with certain intelligence, they have not been able to develop an escape plan.
Especially since they were born in captivity and remain dependent on the care that humans provide them.
The squirrel monkeys were stolen, nothing more, nothing less.
As the zoo indicates in a long press release published on its Facebook account, the door to their shelter was also
“forced”
.
“A team from the La Londe-les-Maures gendarmerie went to the scene early in the morning, immediately after our animal handler noticed the theft. The investigation is now open. Everything is being done to find these animals as quickly as possible
,” specifies the Var park.
Information confirmed to
Figaro
by the Hyères gendarmerie company.
To this day, those responsible for the kidnapping are still at large.
For the zoo, there is no doubt, these are malicious people who intend to resell the animals at a high price.
Madness as the structure explains:
“These monkeys are not domestic animals.
They live in groups and cannot stand living alone.
A squirrel monkey, although small, can inflict serious bites when it feels threatened.”
Also read: In Roissy, immersed in the heart of incredible monkey skull trafficking
A protected species
In addition, it is a species protected by the Washington Convention.
Thus, it is obligatory in France to be in possession of a certificate of capacity and an authorization to open an establishment to keep them in captivity.
This is the case for animal parks and rare private breeders.
“Our animals are identified by non-alterable processes.
And recorded in a national file that can be consulted by veterinarians and state services
,” warns the La Londe-les-Maures zoo.
If the investigations to find the primates and those responsible for their kidnapping are
“on track”
, according to a source close to the investigation, a judicial investigation could be opened shortly.
“In any case, it’s something quite new for us.
Having discussed it with colleagues, this park has never been particularly targeted.
And we cannot say either that the region is threatened by any network of animal traffickers
,” observes the same source.
Anyone likely to provide useful testimony to the investigation is asked to contact the La Londe-les-Maures gendarmerie brigade or to write to the zoo at the following address: contact@zootropical.com