A 19-year-old man has pleaded guilty into sneaking into a zoo after hours and stealing a very rare lemur to keep as a pet, Monday.
Aquinas Kasbar from California has admitted to using bolt cutters on July 27 last year in order to cut a hole in the enclosures of lemurs and capuchin monkeys at the Santa Ana Zoo to steal 32-year-old Isaac, the oldest-living ring-tailed lemur in North American captivity.
Lemurs are considered part of the 25 most endangered primates in the world and its lifespan typically at 20 to 25 years only.
Kasbar abandoned the lemur in a plastic drawer that has no ventilation the next day he stole it in front of a hotel in Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles., according to court documents.
He left a note, saying it belonged to the zoo and should be taken to police. Isaac was safely returned to the zoo.
Meanwhile, the Newport Beach police were investigating home burglaries, for which Kasbar has been charged. From there, he was also identified as the culprit and tied him to the theft.
He faces one year in prison and a $100,000 fine on his sentencing on October 28.
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