Death, escape and burglary: even with an arrest, it’s hard to find answers to crimes at the Dallas Zoo

The series of alleged crimes that have rocked the Dallas Zoo in recent weeks has also baffled the entire industry.

“I don’t know of a zoo that has experienced this kind of weirdness,” said Michael Renner, a professor of biology and psychology at Drake University in Iowa and coordinator of its Zoo Studies and Conservation Program.

“People are pretty much overwhelmed,” he said. “They cling to a pattern that will lead them to an explanation.”

Events began on January 13, when the clouded leopard was reported missing from its habitat. In the days and weeks that followed, a breach was found in the langur monkey enclosure, an endangered vulture was found dead, and a pair of emperor tamarins were allegedly stolen.

Tom Schmid, CEO and president of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, said he hadn’t seen anything like it.

“It’s inexplicable,” he said. “I can’t imagine a situation like this in my 20+ years in the field.”

More about the mysterious episodes at the Dallas Zoo

  • Key tip from aquarium staff leads to arrest of suspect
  • Man accused of stealing tamarins suspected in other incidents at Dallas Zoo
  • The Dallas Zoo mystery deepens when missing tamarin monkeys are found in the closet of an abandoned house.
  • A dead bird of prey with an “unusual wound” and other suspicious incidents rock the Dallas Zoo.
  • A leopard that escaped from the Dallas Zoo has been found after the enclosure was cut down, police say.

While they’re trying to figure out how to figure it out, the Dallas Zoo is promising “major changes” to the facility’s security system to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.

On Friday, authorities linked a 24-year-old zoo visitor to three cases, including the alleged theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys. Davion Irwin was arrested Thursday and charged with burglary and animal cruelty.

Bella and Finn, the tamarins, were found unharmed in the closet of an empty house on Tuesday.

Dallas Police, with the help of the Lancaster Police Department, located two missing tamarins from the Dallas Zoo in an abandoned house in Lancaster.  The photo shows one of the animals that is still in the closet at home.  The monkeys have been returned to the zoo.
One of the two missing tamarins from the Dallas Zoo in the closet of an empty house in Lancaster.Dallas Police Department via Twitter

Irwin is also charged with burglary in connection with the escape of Nova, the clouded leopard, the Dallas Police Department said. Irvine is “linked” to the langur monkey incident, but he has not been charged in the case.

Neither the leopard, nor Nova, nor the langurs were harmed.

Irwin was also not blamed for the Jan. 21 death of Pin, a 35-year-old vulture who was found with what zoo officials called an “unusual wound.”

Dallas police spokeswoman Christine Lowman told reporters Friday that additional charges are possible.

Authorities have not determined a motive, but Lowman said investigators believe Irwin was planning another crime prior to his arrest. A Dallas World Aquarium employee reported him to authorities after the police department posted a photo the person they wanted to talk to about the missing animals. Irwin questioned the officer about “means and methods of catching animals,” according to police affidavits supporting his arrest warrant.

Irwin did not work or volunteer at the Dallas Zoo and had guest access, Dallas Zoo President and CEO Gregg Hudson said Friday.

“It’s been an incredible three weeks for all of us here at the zoo,” Hudson told reporters. “What happened here is unprecedented.”

Three cuts, three habitats

When something goes wrong at zoos, incidents tend to be isolated, Schmid said, and likely involve someone trying to take the animal home or gain access to the habitat.

“It’s not that uncommon,” Schmid said. “The fact that they had multiple events makes it all the more unsettling.”

Officials in Dallas provided few details about the incidents, although a common thread between the three of them – the leopard, tamarins and langurs – were cuts found in the animals’ wire mesh habitats. Authorities said they looked deliberate.

According to the representative of the zoo, Ping lived in the open air. The cause of death of the endangered vulture has not been determined.

Clouded Leopard Nova at the Dallas Zoo in September 2021.
Clouded Leopard Nova at the Dallas Zoo in September 2021.Dallas Zoo via Facebook

Authorities did not say which tool was used to cut the wire mesh. Pat Janikowski, longtime zoo designer and head of PJA Architects, said the mesh typically consists of seven strands of stainless steel woven into rope and woven together.

“It’s really strong,” he said. “It’s strong enough that a gorilla could charge it and pull it, but not break it.”

Sean Stoddard, whose company A Thru Z Consulting and Distributing supplies mesh to the industry and has worked with the Dallas Zoo for more than two decades, said that in order to create a hole large enough for an animal to enter, the suspect likely used a bolt. or cable cutters.

Zoo

Authorities did not say at what time the tool could have been used. In two cases – with a leopard and tamarins – the zoo staff discovered the disappearance of animals in the morning.

Joey Mazzola, who worked as a marine biologist at the zoo from 2013 to 2017, said staff likely discovered the disappearance of the monkeys and leopard while counting the animals, as they do every morning and night.

Zoo spokeswoman Kari Streiber said both animals were registered the night before. Nova has escaped from the public part of her home, where she lives with her sister, Luna. Streiber said it was unclear when she came out.

According to Streiber, the tamarins have disappeared from a holding area close to where they live. Mazzola compared such spaces to a backyard: an area that is likely hidden from visitors and separated from the animal’s communal habitat and where they stay overnight.

It is unclear how Irwin allegedly gained access to the space. Lawman, a police spokeswoman, said authorities were aware of how Irwin allegedly pulled the tamarins, but she declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation, as did Streiber.

Pin the vulture.
Pin the vulture.Dallas Zoo via NBC Dallas-Fort Worth

More cameras, more security

Hudson said the zoo is putting in place security measures to ensure “things like this don’t happen again.”

Cameras have been added, including towers provided by the Dallas Police Department and more night guards to monitor the 106-acre area. Streiber said staff restricted some of the animals from going outside at night.

“Protecting the zoo is a unique task that requires special needs due to the environment,” the zoo said in a statement Wednesday. “Often there is extensive tree canopy, extensive habitats and backstage areas to keep an eye on, as well as heavy traffic from guests, contractors and staff.”

Zoo officials are discussing additional changes with security experts, Streiber said.

It is not clear if there are metal detectors on the table. Like most US zoos, Dallas doesn’t have any, and Streiber said she doesn’t know if they are being considered.

Schmid said other institutions are considering using the systems, and the Columbus Zoo is installing them to protect against incidents such as mass shootings.

The events in Dallas are likely to prompt officials from more than 200 accredited zoos in the United States to look into “what they’re doing,” he said.

Schmid wasn’t sure how this might change the Columbus Zoo’s approach to safety, but he said there had already been several discussions about animal care and safety.

Drake University’s Renner hopes Dallas’ new emphasis on safety won’t detract from the zoo’s mission to create meaningful interactions between animals and visitors.

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