Stolen endangered monkey Ruma returned to Leipzig Zoo

Leipzig Zoo on Thursday said a monkey taken from its enclosure had been discovered in the eastern German city's Reudnitz district.

Zookeepers returned the 15-year-old female lion-tailed macaque, named Ruma, to her home where she was described as "weakened" but not hurt.

How did the zoo track Ruma down?

A jogger spotted Ruma perched among tree branches and reported it to the police. 

"At first I thought it was a racoon," the man told the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper.

The zoo team and police officers sprang into action but, determined not to be caught again, the monkey sought refuge in a nearby apartment building. There, the zoo team managed to catch her in the building's stairwell using a net.

"We are relieved that our female bearded monkey is doing well after an initial examination," said zoo director Jörg Junhold. "There are no external injuries visible, but she seems weakened."

How did the monkey go missing?

While inspecting the primate enclosures on Easter Sunday, zoo employees discovered that Ruma was missing.

The zoo revealed that she had been stolen two days later and that there had been "clear signs of a violent break-in." It said unidentified individuals were believed to have used traps to steal the animal.

"Who is behind the crime and what the motive was for it is remains unclear," said police spokesman Olaf Hoppe after the monkey was returned.

The monkey is thought not to have wandered far from where it was released by, or escaped from, the thieves. 

"It’s a case of burglary and theft," he said, adding that the investigation would now focus on the Reudnitz area.

rc/ab (AFP, dpa)