A rare lemur was stolen from a zoo in San Francisco: this species is on the verge of extinction

An insidious theft occurred at the San Francisco Zoo (California) - a 21-year-old ring-tailed lemur named Maki was kidnapped. The details of the incident were told by the publication NBC News.

Photo: Shutterstock

“We understand that lemurs are fascinating animals, but the Maki is a highly endangered animal and requires special care. We are asking for the public's help in his return," Dr. Jason Watters, the zoo's executive vice president of animal welfare, said in a statement.

Ring-shaped lemurs that live in Madagascar are considered an endangered species.

Officers "observed a forced entry into an animal enclosure where a stolen animal was being kept," police said in a statement.

21-year-old Maki disappeared from the Lemur Forest at the zoo. It is the largest lemur habitat in the United States. This "forest" is home to seven species of lemurs, but no other animals have been reported missing.

“Maki, one of our oldest lemurs, needs a special diet. Of the 19 lemurs living here, at 21,5 years he exceeded their average lifespan (16,7 years). This animal is one of the slowest, and we think it's probably the easiest animal to catch,” Watters said.

This is not the first time a lemur has been abducted from a California zoo.

On the subject: A unique experience: in Texas, the zoo launched an unusual excursion by car

In 2018, Aquinas Kasbar from Newport Beach snuck into the Santa Ana Zoo when it was closed for the night and used a bolt cutter to steal a ring-tailed lemur named Isaac.

Isaac then turned 32, he was the oldest ring-tailed lemur living in captivity in North America. He was left outside a hotel in Newport Beach the next day in a plastic container with a note that said the animal belonged to a zoo.

Isaac escaped unscathed and returned to the menagerie.

Kasbar "broke into the zoo with the intention of taking the lemur as a pet, but he was unable to get it to come with him," the FBI said.

Several months later, Kasbara was arrested on unrelated charges. The detainee boasted that it was he who stole the lemur from the zoo, then showed the agent a video on his phone, where he is pictured with the animal.

Kasbar pleaded guilty in 2019 to federal misdemeanor to kidnap an endangered species. He was sentenced to 90 days in prison, as well as $ 8 in damages to the zoo.

In addition, Kasbara was accused of a series of burglaries of residential buildings in the Newport Beach area. He pleaded guilty.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature states that the main threats to ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar are loss of their habitat and hunting, as well as "illegal trade in domestic animals".

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