They will have to explain their gesture and may confess what happened to the last missing.
Two men were arrested and imprisoned after the theft of ten lemurs and two tamarins at the Upie zoo (Drôme), which occurred on the night of Sunday 22 to Monday 23 August, a judicial source indicates this Wednesday.
Eight lemurs were found safe.
Already "known judicially", the individuals were referred Tuesday afternoon to the prosecutor's office in Valence and were indicted for "aggravated thefts", specifies the city's public prosecutor, Alex Perrin, confirming information from Dauphiné Libéré , according to which the two alleged criminals are "a man and a woman, both Ardéchois".
The date, place and circumstances of their arrests, with a third person who has so far been exonerated, have not been communicated.
“The investigations are still ongoing,” adds the magistrate, who entrusted the investigation to the Crest gendarmerie company.
The track of privileged traffic
Of the twelve primates stolen at the start of the week - ten lemurs and two tamarins, probably in the context of wildlife trafficking according to the management of the Upie Zoo - eight lemurs were recovered unharmed by the gendarmes in conditions which have not been specified by the Valence prosecutor's office.
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“We are very, very happy.
We believed in it without believing it… We are, however, still very worried about the animals that have still disappeared, ”reacts the manager of the Upie zoo, Alexandre Liauzu.
“We went to look for them directly after the call from the gendarmerie and they immediately took their bearings in the park.
One of them, as our vet was able to observe, has a little changeable behavior, perhaps due to stress, but this is also normal, ”he noted.
Ten "maki catta" from the same family
During the night of Sunday 19 to Monday 20, the "lodges" of lemurs and tamarins, where these primates can find refuge during the night, had been fractured "in a very
clean
way
, probably by a commando who had targeted" the animals. , according to Christelle Monthulé, responsible for "zoology capacity" of the establishment.
The ten lemurs, of the “maki catta” type, are from the same family of eleven.
The last member had managed to escape and was found in the hallway of the lodge the next morning.
The male and female tamarins were a couple.
Finding eight of its lemurs gives a little balm to the heart of the Upie zoo, created in 1976. Originally specializing in birds, the Drôme zoological park has gradually diversified into primates and turtles. According to its management, it welcomes 40,000 visitors a year.