Manila: Thieves broke into private-run zoo east of Manila and stole nine animals that are not native to the Philippines, authorities said.
The Avilon Zoo, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, said its facility in Rodriguez, Rizal was broken into by burglars who took away nine animals — three palm cockatoos, three red-footed tortoises, a yellow-footed tortoise, a brown-turted capuchin monkey and a snapping turtle.
These animals are considered rate and could be sold to collectors.
The incident is one of the few occasions in the country where captive wildlife had been stolen from a zoo.
Avilon Zoo said the animals are considered as “endangered” and were part of its conservation breeding programme.
All the stolen animals are native to the Amazon in South America except for the black palm cockatoo, which is endemic to Australia.
Wildlife trafficking is a billion dollar global business.
Trade in wildlife is illegal in the Philippines and collecting, hunting or possessing endangered wildlife could lead to imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of at most P200,000 (Dhs 13,778).
According to its website, the Avilon Zoo is currently the largest zoological institution in the Philippines in terms of collection of live animals. Its 7.5 hectare facility in Rizal houses more than 3,000 specimens of exotic wildlife representing more than 500 species of birds, mammals reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fishes and invertebrates.
The zoo has a diverse collection of Philippine native and endemic fauna, most of which have been bred successfully in captivity through Avilons ex situ conservation programmes.
