Gunmen Steal 15 Birds at
Nicaragua Zoo
Five armed, hooded men
broke into a Nicaraguan
zoo and ran off with 15
endangered birds and a
raccoon, officials said
Saturday.
National police are
investigating Friday's
robbery of a raccoon,
five bicolored toucans,
nine parrots and a macaw
that were being
rehabilitated in the
zoo's rescue center,
Managua zoo director
Marina Arguello told The
Associated Press in a
phone interview.
The suspects broke into
the rear of the zoo,
overpowered a security
guard and headed
directly for the rescue
center, where they
seized the animals, all
of which are species in
danger of extinction,
Arguello said.
"The toucans, whose
colors are of an
unparalleled beauty, had
been prepared for
reproduction," she
added.
Arguello called the loss
"incalculable" but said
the birds have a
black-market value of up
to $1,000 each. |
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