Free Republic

DALLAS (AP) — A 24-year-old man now linked to an unusual string of crimes that kept the Dallas Zoo on the lookout for missing animals told police that after he swiped two monkeys from their enclosure, he took them onto the city’s light rail system to make his getaway, court records show. Davion Irvin also said he loves animals and that if he’s released from jail, he would steal more, the documents said. Irvin, who remained jailed Tuesday on $25,000 bond, was arrested last week after asking questions at a downtown Dallas aquarium about animals there. He is charged with...

A missing clouded leopard was found safe Friday afternoon after she escaped from her Dallas Zoo enclosure hours earlier, zoo officials announced. The clouded leopard, named Nova, “was located very near the original habitat, and teams were able to safely secure her just before 5:15 p.m.,” the zoo tweeted. Dallas police launched a criminal investigation Friday after it was determined the fence in Nova’s enclosure was intentionally cut, police and the zoo said. On Saturday, police said a cutting tool was used to create an opening in the fencing of the leopard’s habitat. A similar cut was also found at...

An unlikely playmate has been brought into the Dallas Zoo to help calm two male cheetah cubs: an 8-week-old black Labrador retriever puppy named Amani. Amani is joining two 8-week-old feline brothers, Winspear and Kamau, born July 8 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. According to a zoo statement, Amani means "peace" in Swahili. Since Labs are easygoing in public settings and since the pup will grow with the cubs, zoo experts believe he'll provide a calming influence for the cats. Winspear and Kamau will join the zoo's Animal Adventures outreach program to help teach the...