Warmer weather and the holiday brought crowds to the Dallas Zoo on Monday and visitors received a surprise.
The two emperor tamarin monkeys that were stolen three weeks ago were back in their habitat entertaining visitors.
The pair spent the last several days in quarantine as zoo officials closely monitored their health.
“They’ve regained the weight they lost and looking really healthy and happy to be home,” said Kari Streiber, VP of Marketing and Communications for the Dallas Zoo.
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Monday’s crowds were a welcome sight for the zoo after a string of crimes targeted wildlife.
Police arrested Davion Irvin earlier this month and connected him to the stolen monkeys.
Dallas police said Irvin stole the monkeys, then hopped on the DART rail, before walking and leaving the monkeys in an abandoned home in Lancaster. Once arrested police connected Irvin to an escaped leopard and vandalism to another monkey enclosure days earlier at the Dallas Zoo.
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Yet the death of a vulture remains unsolved.
“We’re still waiting for the necropsy results to come back. We’ve brought in some additional folks that are running some lab work,” Streiber said.
Dallas police said they are still actively investigating the incidents.
The Dallas Zoo CEO will give a briefing before city leaders Tuesday that will focus on the crimes and the zoo's response, including security changes they made following each incident and those still in the works.
Streiber said they are focused on several upgrades, including additional lighting, cameras and the hiring of an outside security expert.
“To really help us take a look around the campus and make sure we’ve covered everything we possibly can,” Streiber said. “There will be some changes. Some that will be visible to the public and some that won’t.”
For now, Streiber said they hope to use this attention as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on their animals and conservation efforts.
“It’s wonderful to have crowds. It’s wonderful to talk to people and turning a positive out of the month we’ve been through," Streiber said.
