Most Stolen Monkeys Recovered After Police Raid in France

Law enforcement authorities in France successfully recovered a majority of the 13 rare monkeys that were stolen from the Exotic Park zoo in Lescar earlier in the week. The operation, which took place on Thursday afternoon, unfolded near Tarbes and resulted in the arrest of two suspects currently held in police custody.

The stolen primates, consisting of white-tufted marmosets and cotton-top tamarins, were returned to the zoo overnight. According to Guillaume Darzacq, the director of the Exotic Park, the animals arrived back in relatively good health though they were extremely hungry. Investigators tracked down the suspects and the animals using surveillance camera footage from the zoo.

The rescue operation involved substantial law enforcement resources, deploying two gendarmerie helicopters, numerous military personnel, and officers equipped with all-terrain motorcycles. Authorities also set up a strategic roadblock at a toll plaza along the A64 highway before conducting an intervention in a residential traveler community in the suburbs of Tarbes.

Mariel Garrigos, the prosecutor in Bayonne who oversees the regional environmental division, noted that wildlife trafficking cases remain contained within the region. However, she emphasized that the brazen theft of the primates marks the third significant organized crime case involving animal trafficking in the area since the beginning of the year, following previous illegal operations involving glass eels and European goldfinches.

The cross-border nature of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques region frequently aids illicit trafficking networks seeking to move contraband across European borders, though authorities maintain close cooperation with Spanish counterparts. Illegal exotic animal trafficking in France carries severe penalties, including fines of up to 150,000 euros and prison sentences of up to three years.

For the zoo director and his staff, the recovery of most of the animals brought immense relief, though some primates remain missing. Darzacq expressed concern for the psychological well-being of the rescued monkeys, explaining that they were kept in separate cages and had lost their familiar group scents.

Zoo caretakers now face the delicate task of helping the traumatized animals readjust and rebuild trust. Darzacq remarked on the difficulty of restoring their sense of security, noting that animals often struggle to trust humans again after enduring such stressful captivity.

The ongoing investigation continues as authorities search for the remaining missing primates and investigate the full scope of the trafficking ring responsible for the heist.