The Dallas Zoo’s missing monkeys were found inside a closet in an abandoned house, police say

The monkeys had been missing since Monday, when zookeepers arrived in the morning and found their enclosure had been “intentionally compromised.” The Dallas Police Department said in a statement to Insider they received a tip that the monkeys may be at an abandoned home in Lancaster, Texas, just south of Dallas. On Tuesday evening, police discovered the monkeys in a closet at the home, which was empty.

“We are thrilled beyond belief to share that our two emperor tamarin monkeys have been found,” Kari Streiber, the VP of marketing and communications at the Dallas Zoo, said in a statement to Insider. “DPD located the animals early this evening, and called our team to come secure and transport the tamarins back to the Zoo. They will be evaluated by our veterinarians this evening.”

Police said the investigation is still ongoing and no arrests have been made.

Police are also investigating if the incident is related to several other strange occurrences involving animals at the Dallas Zoo this month.

First, on January 13, a clouded leopard named Nova was discovered missing from her enclosure before being located on the zoo grounds several hours later. Police at the time said it appeared someone had intentionally cut the leopard’s habitat and that a similarly “suspicious” tear was made in an enclosure containing langurs, a monkey native to Africa and Asia, but that all the monkeys were accounted for.

The zoo announced it was ramping up its security, including additional cameras and onsite overnight patrols. 

It is unclear if the incidents were related, and a DPD spokesperson said that was part of the investigation. No persons of interest have been named in any of the incidents. Earlier on Wednesday, DPD released an image of a person they were trying to contact who they thought might have information on the missing monkeys.

Ed Hansen, the CEO of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, told Insider on Monday that he was puzzled by the series of incidents at the Dallas Zoo, saying he’d never before heard of something like that happening. He also said that the monkeys likely require a special diet, and that they could have died if the person they were with did not know how to care for them.