Two emperor tamarin babies stolen from La Palmyre zoo

Two emperor tamarin infants have been stolen from the La Palmyre zoo in Charente-Maritime, France. The theft occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday. Zoo officials reported the incident Sunday morning. The young tamarins, born on June 21, are only a few weeks old and not yet weaned. Their survival is considered compromised due to their young age and dependency on care.

The perpetrators gained access to the zoo by cutting through a fence and then broke the padlock on the tamarin enclosure. The zoo does not have surveillance cameras, making identification of the suspects difficult at this stage. The investigation has been handed over to the Rochefort gendarmerie research brigade.

The emperor tamarin, known for its distinctive white mustache, is a small primate native to the southwestern Amazon rainforest. Adults typically measure between 24 and 26 cm and weigh up to 500 grams. While not an endangered species, emperor tamarins are frequent targets for theft. Similar incidents have occurred in zoos in Lyon, France, Blackpool, UK, and Dallas, USA, in recent years.