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| Australian animal thefts: a worthless emu and a koala who fought back | Australian animal thefts: a worthless emu and a koala who fought back |
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| While jewellery and cash seem more obvious hauls for thieves, animals have been the target of several robberies in Australia. Known motivations for nabbing an animal run from drunken pranks gone wrong to presents for girlfriends, and animals reportedly used to pay for drugs. | While jewellery and cash seem more obvious hauls for thieves, animals have been the target of several robberies in Australia. Known motivations for nabbing an animal run from drunken pranks gone wrong to presents for girlfriends, and animals reportedly used to pay for drugs. |
| Koala too scary, so thieves took crocodile | Koala too scary, so thieves took crocodile |
| Thieves attempted to steal a koala to exchange for drugs in 2006 but when it put up too much of a fight they took a crocodile instead. The 1.2-metre freshwater crocodile weighed 40kg and was dragged over a 2.4-metre fence at Rockhampton Zoo in Queensland. Zoo keeper Wil Kemp told reporters how the koala had managed to fight the thieves off. “Apparently [the koala] scratched the shit out of them,” he said. | Thieves attempted to steal a koala to exchange for drugs in 2006 but when it put up too much of a fight they took a crocodile instead. The 1.2-metre freshwater crocodile weighed 40kg and was dragged over a 2.4-metre fence at Rockhampton Zoo in Queensland. Zoo keeper Wil Kemp told reporters how the koala had managed to fight the thieves off. “Apparently [the koala] scratched the shit out of them,” he said. |
| Stolen monkey 'mistaken for possum' | Stolen monkey 'mistaken for possum' |
| In 2010 a marmoset monkey named Cheeky was taken from Nowra Wildlife Animal Park and found two days later in the bedroom of a 20-year-old woman after police received an anonymous tip-off. The woman told police she was minding the monkey for a friend and though it was a possum. "It was very stupid of me," she told a court, and she was fined $450. Cheeky was stressed when he was found by police but responded well to a training drill and was returned to the park. | In 2010 a marmoset monkey named Cheeky was taken from Nowra Wildlife Animal Park and found two days later in the bedroom of a 20-year-old woman after police received an anonymous tip-off. The woman told police she was minding the monkey for a friend and though it was a possum. "It was very stupid of me," she told a court, and she was fined $450. Cheeky was stressed when he was found by police but responded well to a training drill and was returned to the park. |
| Six snakes and two alligators stolen | Six snakes and two alligators stolen |
| In September 2012, six snakes and two rare American alligators – 60 and 80cm long – were taken from a zoo in Nulkaba in the Hunter Valley. The snakes included two diamond pythons, a black-headed python, a water python, a Woma python, and a Murray Darling python. | |
| Drunk men steal penguin | Drunk men steal penguin |
| A fairy penguin called Dirk was taken from Sea World on the Gold Coast in 2012 by two drunk men who then bragged about the conquest on Facebook. While Dirk was found alive, he was frightened and exhausted and close to death. He was rescued by Sea World staff after being found huddled under a pier on the Gold Coast’s broadwater. A Sea World spokesman hit out at the thieves on radio: "It's totally foreign to this animal and it's very, very cruel," he said. "He wouldn't have survived in the wild, not at all. He would have been an ideal target for a bull shark during the day or dogs and cats." | A fairy penguin called Dirk was taken from Sea World on the Gold Coast in 2012 by two drunk men who then bragged about the conquest on Facebook. While Dirk was found alive, he was frightened and exhausted and close to death. He was rescued by Sea World staff after being found huddled under a pier on the Gold Coast’s broadwater. A Sea World spokesman hit out at the thieves on radio: "It's totally foreign to this animal and it's very, very cruel," he said. "He wouldn't have survived in the wild, not at all. He would have been an ideal target for a bull shark during the day or dogs and cats." |
| 50 kilogram emu swiped | 50 kilogram emu swiped |
| A fully grown emu, weighing about 50kg, was stolen from an electrified enclosure at Featherdale Wildlife Park earlier this year. Police believe the thieves scaled a two metre fence to grab the bird, leaving a 600-metre trail of its feathers to where police believed a getaway car had been waiting. The theft left staff at the zoo baffled: in cash terms the emu was worth almost nothing on the black market. | A fully grown emu, weighing about 50kg, was stolen from an electrified enclosure at Featherdale Wildlife Park earlier this year. Police believe the thieves scaled a two metre fence to grab the bird, leaving a 600-metre trail of its feathers to where police believed a getaway car had been waiting. The theft left staff at the zoo baffled: in cash terms the emu was worth almost nothing on the black market. |
| Stolen koala found in rubbish bin | Stolen koala found in rubbish bin |
| Banjo, a 13-year-old koala, was found dumped in a bin in the car park of the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford after being stolen from the zoo in 2011. The marsupial was found after an anonymous call from the thief following reports of Banjo's theft. He was stressed and needed food, but was otherwise unharmed the park said. | Banjo, a 13-year-old koala, was found dumped in a bin in the car park of the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford after being stolen from the zoo in 2011. The marsupial was found after an anonymous call from the thief following reports of Banjo's theft. He was stressed and needed food, but was otherwise unharmed the park said. |
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