BRISBANE, Australia, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- One of a pair of rare monkeys stolen from an Australian zoo was found dead Sunday in a nearby backyard.
Two cotton-top tamarin monkeys, a highly endangered species, were taken from the Alma Park Zoo in Brisbane Saturday night in an apparent planned break-in, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Manager Gary Connell said neighbors phoned the zoo to report their dog had found a strange looking animal in their yard.
"We went across with the curator and it was our male tamarin. Unfortunately it was dead, it had been dead for a little while," he said.
"It's obvious that the male has been grabbed by whoever tried to take him, he had big bald patches on the back of him. And that whoever tried to catch him him hasn't been aware of how to handle primates, pulled out a lot of his fur, and I say that could have been what caused the death."
The female tamarin, Conchetta, is heavily pregnant and Connell says probably will miscarry due to the shock. He is still holding out hope she will be returned, but warns she will not survive long outside of the zoo.
