” Police are searching for 17 rare monkeys stolen from a zoo in central France.

Thieves took seven golden lion tamarins and 10 silvery marmosets, which all belong to the Brazilian government, from the Beauval zoo on Saturday.

“These are extremely rare, extremely fragile monkeys,” zoo director Rodolphe Delord said.

Concern is mounting for the health of the animals, which need special care and a specific diet.

Mr Delord said they had been stolen by “experts” who evaded security cameras and night patrols.

“It’s an outrageous theft,” he told Reuters news agency.

A tamarin could fetch between €5,000 (£3,600; $5,600) to €10,000 on the black market, the news agency quoted France-based environmental association Robin des Bois as saying.

Golden lion tamarins are an endangered species native to the Atlantic rainforests of Brazil.”

Source: BBC

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