Somebody has stolen £100,000 worth of antique taxidermy from a London warehouse, including a King Penguin and a chimp wearing a top hat.
ITV explains that the company, London Taxidermy, “supplies life-size props to the film and TV industry including the Harry Potter franchise, Paddington Bear, James Bond blockbuster Spectre, the Pirates of the Caribbean, Downton Abbey, Mr Selfridge, Made In Chelsea and Celebrity Juice.”
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.
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Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
