Snakes and Freshwater Crocodiles Sneaked out of Australia's Canberra Reptile Zoo, Officials Release Footage to Nail Thief (Watch Video)

A crocodile and two snakes were stolen by a thief to the Canberra Reptile Zoo in the wee hours of Friday. The intruder broke into the Gold Creek-based zoo around 6 am and stole one Stimson's python named Tim Tam, a hatchling jungle python named Zebra and Jaws Junior, a freshwater crocodile. He also took along snake supplies, a registered computer and a stereo. The whole episode was captured on CCTV and is being shared widely on social media. Bronze Hippo Sculpture Weighing 680 Kg Stolen From Luxurious Chilstone Garden in UK.

The zoo's founder and managing director, Peter Child, said the staff were devastated on learning about the incident. The Canberra Times quoted Peter as saying, "We're horrified by the loss of the animals. These animals meant a lot to us and we're feeling shattered." Video of the activity has been posted on social media by the zoo so that the offender can be easily identified. Two Curious Men Poke Furry Mysterious Hibernating Animal in a Mexican Cave & It Erupts Into Thousands of Spiders Nesting (Watch Video)

Peter further said, "They broke in and went for the snakes on display and smashed the enclosures as well, and removed a lot of products from the shop so they would be able to keep the snakes alive. Unfortunately, one of the crocodiles was out the back of the display in a container and they took that too. The croc being stolen might have been opportunistic."

Here is the Video of The Theft at the Zoo:

While Tim Tam has been a popular attraction at the zoo for the past three years, the crocodile had been there for four years. Peter added, "I saw our alarm go off, but we've had many false alarms over the years because of all the animals moving, so I was probably a bit slower than I should have been. By the time I had got there, they had broke in and taken the items."

The zoo has been saving for a new enclosure for one of its grown-up crocodiles, but now most of the money would go in upgrading the place post the theft. Fortunately, the zoo is receiving a lot of community support. They have requested people with any information on the incident to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2019 06:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).