Somebody has stolen £100,000 worth of antique taxidermy from a London warehouse, including a King Penguin and a chimp wearing a top hat.
While this thievery might sound like the work of spooky adults or perhaps some Victorianists gone rogue, a company rep has a theory that’s perhaps more in keeping with modern criminal enterprises:
I think they were after rhino horns – that is my theory. I have a couple of fibreglass ones on the website and they may have mistaken them for the real thing.
So they just began taking things at random – two lions, two giraffes, the King Penguin, the chimpanzee in a top hat as well.
“This was not a random crime, the burglars had came prepared and well equipped. This was a criminal enterprise and these thieves need to be stopped before they commit further crimes,” added Detective Constable Edward Bird in a Metropolitan Police request for the public’s help.
If you happen to spot a stuffed chimp wearing a top hat, please contact Scotland Yard.
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Photo via Metropolitan Police.