Funny News: Man “High As A Kite” Tries To Steal Monkey From Zoo For Girlfriend
Wikimedia CommonsSquirrel monkeys
A man who tried to steal squirrel monkeys from an enclosure at a New Zealand zoo was sentenced for his crime this year in a funny news headline New Zealand has yet to match since.
Back in April, John Owen Casford broke into the Wellington Zoo under cover of night and attempted to steal a monkey and bring it home to his girlfriend, according to the New Zealand Herald. The 23-year-old described himself as “high as a kite” when he broke into the zoo.
“Your intention was to capture one and bring it home to your girlfriend,” the judge said during Casford’s sentencing. “You attempt was not successful.”
He entered the zoo through an unsecured gate and broke through two padlocks to enter the animals’ enclosure. According to the Herald, the monkeys’ injuries indicate that they had been grabbed by Casford. One monkey had a hematoma on its arm, and others had scratch marks on them.
Rosa Woods/StuffJohn Casford.
Casford was unsuccessful in his attempt to steal a monkey, but the morning after the incident, zookeepers knew something was wrong when they found the monkeys frightened and one was missing. She was later found hiding in the enclosure injured and terrified.
According to the judge at Casford’s sentencing, one of the monkeys continued to show signs of stress months after his break in.
Casford did not escape the incident unscathed. He sustained multiple injuries, some self-inflicted and others possibly at the hands of the monkeys — the details remained largely unclear.
In addition to his role in the squirrel monkey incident, Casford was also sentenced for several other separate violence offenses committed over the summer. According to the Herald, he pled guilty to the charge of burglary at the zoo, an unprovoked attack on a man waiting in his car at a traffic light, a drunken attack at a dairy, as well as assaults on a community safety officer and night shelter resident over cigarettes.
For all of his offenses, Casford was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.
