Baby monkey is returned to the Cherry Brook Zoo

April, the baby monkey stolen earlier this week, was found by police after receiving an anonymous tip and returned to the zoo.

The caller told police to look for it in the East Side of Saint John (around Bayside Drive). Police later found April in a blue plastic box behind a building near a gas station. The baby monkey was returned to the zoo around 12:30 a.m. Friday.

“Everybody breathed a sigh of relief,” said zoo official Len Collrin. “As soon as we let it out, it chirped and everything seemed all right.”

The small animal, which is about 30 centimetres tall and weighs less than half a kilogram, was fed a hearty meal after being returned, Collrin said, and was allowed to rest inside a zoo office for the remainder of the night.

“We’re just totally amazed that it is here and very thankful,” Collrin said. “Deep in the back of our mind, we kind of wondered if we’d ever see or hear from this monkey again.”

Police are still investigating the case, said Sgt. Pat Bonner. He said police will be focusing on the anonymous telephone call, which came from a payphone, to see if the voice provides any clues to the theft.

I only hope they can catch those responsible. It’s a sick crime that should not go unpunished!