NewsNational News

Actions

Reward increased to $6,000 in search for monkey stolen from Palm Beach Zoo

Goeldi's monkey valued at $10,000
Posted at 1:51 PM, Feb 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-12 16:08:48-05

A reward is increasing in the effort to find a 12-year-old monkey that was stolen from the Palm Beach Zoo on Monday morning.

The zoo announced Tuesday it'll match a $3,000 Crime Stoppers reward for information leading to the arrest and safe return of Kali. That brings the total reward to $6,000.

"Time is of the essence, we need Kali returned," said zoo spokesperson Naki Carter on Tuesday afternoon.

Surveillance video released Tuesday shows a male suspect approaching the monkey's enclosure on the west side of the zoo. Officials say he cut through mesh in a fence to get inside. Zoo officials and police are currently reviewing the video, which appears to show the thief holding his head.

WATCH SURVEILLANCE VIDEO:

The zoo gave WPTV access to Kali's enclosure on Tuesday, where a hole in the mesh was visible.

"We are calling on people to do the right thing. A member of our family is missing," said Carter on Tuesday. "She is a vulnerable species, there are not many of them left in the wild."

The zoo said Kali is a goeldi's monkey, which is from South American rainforests and worth around $10,000 on the black market.

"This very small and rare monkey is increasingly sought after for the illegal pet trade," said Margo McKnight, President and CEO of the Palm Beach Zoo. "We don’t buy and sell our animals. We work in collaboration with other zoos to save species. Kali and her well-being is priceless."

Kali is on a special diet and takes anti-inflammatory medicine. The monkey weighs one pound and is microchipped.

"This is incredibly stressful for our staff, and we are hopeful someone will do the right thing and come forward," said McKnight.

Carter said the zoo is reviewing security protocols because of the incident.

"We are looking at those protocols to make sure this doesn’t happen again," Carter said on Tuesday.

Last April, two modified shotguns were stolen out of a safe on zoo grounds while the park was closed.

In 2009, a parrot, three squirrel monkeys, and goeldi were stolen from the zoo by three teens who used wire cutters to break in. Working on a tip, the animals were discovered in a shed behind an abandoned home nearby the zoo less than 24 hours later in sweltering heat, but alive.

"We are holding onto hope that the same thing that can happen nearly 10 years later," Carter said.

The zoo would not say what security measures are in place, and how it's improved security after 2009.

If you have any information about where Kali is, call Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS.