Suspect Davion Irvin arrested for stolen monkeys and animals
Police announced on Friday that they have arrested a suspect in connection with a series of bizarre incidents at the Dallas Zoo that have left cages severed, animals missing and zoo officials scrambling for answers.
Davion Irvin, 24, was incarcerated in the Dallas County Jail Thursday night, according to jail records.
Irvin is facing six animal cruelty charges in connection with two emperor tamarin monkeys that were stolen from the zoo earlier this week. Irvin was also facing burglary charges in connection with the tamarind monkey case and the disappearance of Nova, a 4-year-old clouded leopard.
On Friday, jail records show Irvin’s bail was set at $25,000. It was not immediately known if Irvin had an attorney.
Police say preliminary investigation and public assistance identified Irvin as the man police were seeking to speak with in the missing monkey case.
Earlier this week, police released a photo of a man that detectives wanted to speak to and had asked the public for help identifying them.
A council of the public
On Thursday, police said they received a tip. Irvin was seen at the Dallas World Aquarium near animal exhibits.
When officers responded, they saw Irvin riding on a DART rail, a rail system serving the Dallas area. Officers then spotted Irvin nearby and took him to police headquarters for questioning.
The two emperor tamarin monkeys, Bella and Finn, were missing from their habitat on Monday morning, according to zoo officials, who said it was immediately clear that the habitat had been “intentionally compromised”. Police said the habitat was cut down.
Police found the monkeys safe and sound in an empty house outside the city limits on Tuesday.
A series of bizarre events
The series of strange events at the zoo began on January 13, when the zoo was closed after Nova disappeared. She was found on the grounds of the zoo and secured safely. Harrison Edell, executive vice president of animal care and conservation at the Dallas Zoo, noted that there was a tear in the mesh of Nova’s enclosure that morning.
The next day, January 14, Dallas police opened a criminal investigation and discovered that an intentional cut had been made to the enclosures that house langur monkeys. No monkeys were missing or injured. Detectives also determined that the leopard’s enclosure mesh had been deliberately cut.
And on January 21, Pin, a 35-year-old endangered adult lappet-faced vulture, was found dead in its habitat. The zoo said a veterinary team had found “an unusual injury and injury, which indicates that this was not a natural death”.
Contributor: Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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