Leipzig Zoo
Search for stolen bearded monkey Ruma has so far been unsuccessful – fellow bearded monkey Yemur is missing a companion
With this picture, the Leipzig police are searching for the bearded monkey lady Ruma
© Leipzig Police Department / Leipzig Zoo / DPA
There is still no trace of the bearded monkey Ruma, who was stolen from the Leipzig Zoo. A fellow animal in particular is likely to be sad.
The police continue to search for the female bearded monkey Ruma, who was stolen from the Leipzig Zoo (the star reported). After the crime, the zoo spoke of “bad news”. This is the current state of affairs:
What happened at Leipzig Zoo?
Apparently one or more unknown perpetrators broke into the zoo grounds on the night of Easter Sunday. “Clear traces of a violent break-in (…) were visible on the enclosure,” the Leipzig Zoo said on Tuesday. The 15-year-old female bearded monkey Ruma was stolen. It is not known exactly how the enclosure was broken into and the animal was stolen. The Leipzig Zoo wanted to open starIn view of the ongoing investigation, no further information was given about the crime in response to an inquiry on Wednesday.
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How is the investigation going?
After the bearded monkey was discovered to have been stolen, zoo officials alerted the police. “The criminal police have secured traces and put out a wanted notice for the bearded monkey,” said the Leipzig Police Department. So far the search has been unsuccessful. Sniffer dogs were also used. According to Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the investigators received numerous calls, but none of them serious. The zoo said it had tightened security precautions.
What could be behind the crime?
Bearded monkeys are critically endangered species and are protected by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. “We don’t know the motive behind the theft, but we are extremely concerned about the well-being of the middle-aged animal, whose species-appropriate keeping and care requires specialist knowledge, and we very much hope that the animal will be secured or returned unharmed,” explained zoo director Jörg Junhold . It is unclear whether professional thieves who want to make a profit on the wild animal black market with the rare monkey are behind the crime. What is clear, however, is that German zoos repeatedly fall victim to animal theft, including the Hamm Zoo (2021, flamingos) or the Sonderhausen Zoo (2023, baby monkeys).
What about bearded monkey Ruma’s companion?
According to the zoo, Ruma lived in the enclosure with the 12-year-old male bearded monkey Yemur. It was said that after the theft he was marked by the “stress caused by a capture operation”. Bearded monkeys usually live in groups of four to 30 animals and are native to southwest India.
Sources: Leipzig Zoo (1), Leipzig Zoo (2), Leipzig Police Department, Central German RadioDPA news agency