Los Angeles man arrested in theft of lemur from San Francisco Zoo
DALY CITY, Calif. - Police have arrested a Los Angeles man in the theft of a lemur from San Francisco Zoo.
San Rafael police pulled over a stolen Marin sanitation truck Thursday night that was driven by Corry McGilloway, 30. Officers noticed that McGilloway had pictures of Maki the stolen lemur in his phone, which they found odd, officials said.
Detectives from the San Francisco Police Department were called over and McGilloway was subsequently arrested. He was charged with multiple felonies including burglary and grand theft.
Cory McGilloway of Los Angeles. is accused of stealing a lemur from San Francisco Zoo.
The endangered and elderly lemur was discovered missing Wednesday morning from the Lipman Family Lemur Forest in the San Francisco Zoo, zoo officials said.
They said someone broke into the zoo overnight and took Maki, the oldest (and slowest) of the zoo's lemurs.
"He's still agitated, dehydrated and hungry. We're working with
our vet team and wellness teams to get him back to health. He's social distancing from his primate family, but we hope to get him back with his family soon," said the zoo's CEO and Executive Director Tanya Peterson on Friday.
On Thursday evening parents and teachers at Hope Lutheran Day School in Daly City reported seeing the 21-year-old ring-tailed lemur by the playground area.
Daly City police, along with Animal Care and Control officers, captured and held Maki until San Francisco Zoo officials arrived to transport the lemur back to his home.
Authorities have not said how McGilloway allegedly broke into the zoo and stole the animal. They also have not said how Maki ended up at Hope Lutheran Day School.
California Department of Wildlife confirmed that possessing a lemur is illegal. But, said there is a black market for lemurs and other restricted species.
The San Francisco Zoo says the school will get the $2,100 reward the zoo offered for the safe return of Maki, and the boy who spotted him will get a family membership at the zoo.
Bay City News contributed to this story.