Davion Irvin Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Dallas Zoo Monkeys
After weeks on high alert, the nail-biting incidents at the Dallas Zoo may have finally come to an end. Dallas police arrested 24-year-old Davion Irvin on Friday and accused him of messing with several animal enclosures, which led to the escape of a clouded leopard on Jan. 13, and stealing two emperor tamarin monkeys on Jan. 30.
Irvin was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of burglary, the Dallas Morning News reported, and was booked into to the Dallas County Jail with a $25,000 bond.
Police arrested Irvin after they received word that he was spotted at the Dallas World Aquarium, where they believed he was getting ready to commit another crime. Dallas Zoo officials said that Irvin had never been an employee or volunteer at the zoo and is believed to have obtained access as a normal visitor.
A police spokesperson told the Morning News that Irvin had already confessed to “some of the crimes at the zoo” but did not provide more information.
Irvin was detained just days after police released a photo of him on social media and stated that they wanted to speak with him in connection to the incidents. The incidents drove the zoo to increase security at the facility, which included adding cameras as well as extra security guards at night. Officials also restricted the animals from going out at night.
It’s still not clear why Irvin wanted to take so many animals from the zoo. Harrison Edell, the Dallas Zoo’s vice president for animal care and conservation, told The New York Times that the zoo had gone through an extremely difficult time in recent weeks.
“It’s been one gut punch after another,” Edell said. “From a standpoint of trying not to lose faith in humanity, if these incidents were all the same person, how is that possible?”
Click through to learn about what happened to animals at the zoo’s recent incidents and join us in hoping that the poor things are done with the drama.
