ROYAL OAK, MI (WXYZ) — A series of break-ins at zoos across the country is causing The Detroit Zoo and the Toledo zoo to be on high alert.
Dallas, Louisiana, and New York have all had animals go missing this year.
The Detroit Zoo has not been broken into but they are increasing security due to some unusual behavior they believe someone is causing at the facility.
In a recent interview with the President and CEO of the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums, it was revealed that it appears as if someone is casing the zoo.
"You never know. You got poachers. You got people that team up to do things like this to animals so that they can make a profit," Detroit Zoo visitor Desmond Williams said.
Earlier this year, someone freed a 25-pound clouded leopard from the Dallas Zoo. Two weeks later, the alleged thief returned to steal two Emperor Tamarin monkeys.
Days before the Dallas Zoo theft, someone in Louisiana took a dozen squirrel monkeys from a private zoo. And just last month at the Central Park Zoo, a Eurasian Eagle escaped through a hole that someone had cut in its enclosure.
Security consultant Jason Russell says it can be difficult to secure a facility with so many individual areas and no roof.
"This is one case where I think that technology is actually ahead of the game because the analytics and technology that's available on cameras and alarm systems," Russell said. "The key is making sure that it's in the right areas."
The Detroit Zoo declined to go on camera but did say in a statement that
In a statement, the Detroit Zoo said, "As one of the largest visitor attractions in the region, the Detroit Zoo treats any type of suspicious activity seriously. We remain vigilant and it is a top priority to keep guests, staff, volunteers, and the animals who call the zoo home, safe."
Out of all the animals from the other zoos who have been stolen, all except for the 12 spider monkeys and an owl have been returned.
