• Monkey killed at zoo: Idaho man arrested for burglary

    Police arrested an Idaho man who is accused of breaking into a Boise zoo and killing a monkey. KTVB's Kim Fields reports.

    By NBC News staff and wire reports

    Police have arrested one of two men who they believe broke into an Idaho zoo the night a monkey there died from blunt-force trauma, but questions remain about how and why the animal was killed.

    Michael J. Watkins, 22, of Weiser, Idaho was arrested Monday in Washington County on felony burglary and grand theft charges.

    A tip led police to Watkins after they identified a hat found in the monkey's enclosure as similar to one Watkins was wearing the night two intruders were spotted at Zoo Boise. A security guard frightened away the intruders, then discovered the gravely injured patas monkey, which died a short time later.

    Masterson said at a news conference Monday evening that Watkins sought care at a hospital for injuries to his upper torso sometime after the early Saturday incident. The story he gave to hospital staff "did not seem to mesh up with the injuries," Masterson said.

    The monkey's death has left zoo workers shocked and devastated, zoo director Steve Burns said. The Crime Stoppers organization offered an award of up to $1,000 for information leading to the culprits' arrest.


    Investigators had not had a chance to question Watkins extensively and have not revealed whether they think the zoo break-in was a prank that turned violent or something done with more sinister intent. But the police department and community are "angered and outraged over this senseless crime," Masterson said.

    "The loss of this patas monkey has touched many lives, including our officers and investigators," he said.

    The zoo doesn't have surveillance video. Instead, security guards patrol the grounds when the zoo is closed.

    Burns said the guard who discovered the crime spotted one intruder inside the zoo and one outside the perimeter fence near the primate exhibit. Both men fled, with one running into the interior of the zoo.

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    Investigators believe Watkins is the man who was seen inside the fence.

    Burns and police were searching the grounds when Burns heard a groan and found the injured monkey outside its exhibit, near the fence surrounding the zoo. They were able to get the animal into a crate and to the zoo's animal hospital, but the monkey died of blunt-force trauma to its head and neck just a few minutes later.

    An inventory showed none of the other animals were missing or harmed.

    Monkey dies from blow to head after break-in at Idaho zoo; police find ballcap

    Police say Watkins was visiting Boise with friends over the weekend from his home in Weiser, an agricultural town about 60 miles away near the Oregon-Idaho border.

    Court records show Watkins has been in trouble with the law before, including drug arrests. Police said they do not know whether Watkins may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the break-in.

    Officers have spoken with the other man spotted outside the zoo but do not expect charges to be filed against him, Masterson said.

    Crimes at the zoo are rare, Burns said.

    "I've been here for 15 years, and I don't remember any cases where we've had a visitor intentionally or even accidentally injure an animal," Burns said. "People in Boise are usually pretty respectful. We were just saying the other day that we can't even remember the last time that someone was found inside the zoo after hours. The security guards do a really good job."

    Burns said it will take a few weeks before he can decide if the remaining patas monkey will be sent to another zoo or if another patas monkey will be brought in as a companion.

    “Because monkeys are social animals we are concerned about the welfare of the remaining animal,” Burns said.

    'We're going to move on'
    The crime may have raised interest in the patas monkeys. A donation for the one remaining male patas monkey under the zoo's adopt-an-animal program came in over the weekend, Burns said.

    Patas monkeys, found in Africa, are around 2.5 feet tall and typically weigh around 35 pounds.

    The monkey exhibit remains open to the public, although zoo workers were keeping some of the larger garage-sized doors to the exhibit closed to keep down noise, and keepers were giving the remaining patas monkey a little more attention, Burns said. The zoo kicked off a fundraiser to build a new exhibit house for the primates in September.

    "That primate house was built back in the 1960s and it's just time to update it and provide the animals with more space and things like that," he said.

    For now, he said, zoo workers are just focusing on caring for the remaining 300 animals at the zoo.

    "We're going to grieve for the animal and make sure the community's OK. But we're going to move on with the plans that we have and continue to take care of the animals. Boise's a really nice place to live, and usually this kind of stuff doesn't happen in Boise," he said.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Monkey dies from blow to head after break-in at Idaho zoo; police find ballcap

    By NBC News staff

    Updated at 9:53 p.m. ET: Police looking for two suspects who broke into a Boise, Idaho zoo and fatally beat a monkey have a clue: a light gray cap near where the monkey was found.

    The hat is emblazoned with a white skull surrounded by swirly drawing and the logo "M L" written on the skull's forehead.


    A security guard told officers he spotted two males in dark clothing, one inside the zoo grounds and the other outside the fence near the primate exhibit. When the suspects saw the guard, they ran.

    Police searched the 11-acre zoo, including one sweep with a thermal imager, but did not find the suspects.

    During the search, officers and zoo employees found a Patas monkey lying next to the perimeter fence near the primate exhibit where the suspects were last seen. The monkey appeared to have a head injury and died a short time later.

    When they were searching for the offender, Burns said they heard a groan, the Idaho Statesman reported. It was unclear whether the groan came from a human or a monkey, he said.

    The monkey shared a cage with another male monkey that was not harmed, according to the Statesman.

    Detectives collected blood evidence at the scene that's being tested to determine if it's blood from the monkey or a human.  

    "It's very disturbing that someone would intentionally break into the zoo and harm an animal. We're doing all we can to find who did this." said Sgt. Ted Snyder of the Boise Police Department. 

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    “Everybody here at the zoo is devastated,” zoo Director Steve Burns said in a statement.

    “It’s sad to have to tell kids that one of their favorite animals is gone.”

    A veterinarian is conducting a necropsy of the monkey to determine the cause of death. All the other zoo animals were accounted for and uninjured.

    Patas monkeys are ground-dwelling animals from the plains of Africa. At 2 ½ feet, they typically weigh 35 pounds, according to a zoo statement.

    Patas monkeys are rare in zoos but are not endangered in the wild, says Burns. There is one remaining male Patas monkey at the zoo. Both of the animals came to Zoo Boise three years ago from the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa Bay, Fla.

    “Because monkeys are social animals we are concerned about the welfare of the remaining animal,” said Burns. The zoo will explore opportunities to replace the monkey or move the remaining animal to another zoo. 

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