Stolen marmosets returned to zoo

devon.editorial@archant.co.uk
20 July 2006

TWO marmosets stolen from Exmoor Zoo have returned home long after staff feared they might not see them again.

The Geoffroys marmosets were among a haul of animals taken from the attraction near Bratton Fleming in March after thieves broke into the enclosures.

Police recovered them from a house in Staffordshire, where they also seized 15 other primates stolen from zoos around the country.

Sadly there is as yet no sign of nine black-eared marmosets - including a baby - taken from Exmoor Zoo, nor the parrots the criminals stole.

Zoo curator Danny Reynolds travelled to collect the monkeys from Drusillas Park in Sussex where they had been recuperating.

"Due to regulations they now have to go into quarantine facilities." he said.

"They are in better condition than I could have hoped for, but as time went on they would have ended up like the other monkeys held there."

Mr Reynolds said the stolen primates had been found in overcrowded and unsuitable conditions.

Unfortunately, insurance restrictions mean the marmosets might not be able to stay at Exmoor for ever, he added, due to the difficulty of ensuring they are kept fully secure.

"They might end up going to a European zoo, which is also part of the endangered species breeding programme," he said.

In the meantime there is some good news for the Geoffroys. While they were away, the family patriarch and his mate have produced a couple of new relatives for them!