Three Pygmy Marmosets Stolen From A Wildlife Park In Australia

At the end of last month, three pygmy marmosets were stolen from an Australian wildlife park. The species is incredibly rare so losing them was very bad news. The good news was whilst the marmosets were reported missing from their enclosure at Symbio Wildlife Park in South Sydney, the female marmoset Sophia and a baby were found alive the very next day. However, Gomez a male marmoset continues to remain missing.

Rare species

The pygmy marmoset is the smallest species of monkey in the world and people are prepared to spend as much as A$5,000 on the black market to acquire them. According to police, two men were pulled over in a car Southwest of Sydney and they were surprised to find the four-week old baby marmoset in the vehicle.  Police charged the two men aged 23 and 26 but are still on the hunt for the people that were actually responsible for the thefts. The adult female marmoset was found roughly 20 kilometres away in Campbletown.

The baby could have died

Zoo keepers were worried that the baby marmoset which has still not been named would die within 48 hours because it would not have been able to feed from its mother. Fortunately, the little critter was found just in time. John Radnidge who owns the wildlife park said the monkey was resting. According to Mr Radnidge, he was extremely frightened but his condition was reasonable.

“You cannot keep a critically endangered species without being detected. If you have the world’s smallest monkey in your home people are going to wonder where you got it.” Mr. Radnidge said.

Asking the public for help

It is believed that because it is the Chinese Year of the Monkey, demand for the species has spiked. Marmosets are a species that are native to South America. Police have reached out to the general public to help them find the third monkey.