Pata Zoo revealed the incident along with sketches of a man and woman who broke in to steal a Chinese crocodile lizard and a tiger salamander during the Labor Day morning. They have already filed a police complaint.
On 6 May 2026, reporters reported that Pata Zoo posted on Facebook about a theft that occurred on Labor Day morning, 1 May 2026. The post said a man and woman, estimated to be between 25 and 35 years old, visited the zoo at 10:40 a.m. dressed casually with jackets tied around their waists and a bright blue backpack containing a young squirrel monkey that they had to leave at the ticket counter unexpectedly.
After 11:00 a.m., the short-haired woman wearing clear glasses and a black tank top used the jacket tied at her waist to cover her body, hiding a large tattoo on her right arm, which clearly bore the logo of a famous burger chain. The man, with a middle part hairstyle and moustache, who had occasional eye twitching, wore the same type of jacket.
At 11:06 a.m., the suspects skillfully tried to pry open the exotic animal cabinets with their bare hands, as if familiar with this type of cabinet. They successfully forced open two cabinets, took the two animals—a Chinese crocodile lizard and a tiger salamander—put them into the blue backpack, then retrieved the young squirrel monkey they had left earlier before leaving the premises.
Initially, the zoo has filed a police report at Bang Yi Khan Police Station and released sketches of the two suspects involved in the theft, based on surveillance camera footage.
However, upon further investigation, it was found that"Friends of Beasts Zoo"in the Bang Khen area posted a message announcing a search for a male squirrel monkey named "March" who went missing from their zoo on the night of 30 April 2026. Staff discovered that "March" disappeared at around 5 a.m. on 1 May 2026. They are currently investigating and pursuing legal measures. Anyone who finds the monkey is asked to notify Friends of Beasts Zoo.
Several people have speculated that the missing squirrel monkey "March" might be the same one that the man and woman brought to Pata Zoo before leaving it there and then proceeded to steal the lizard and salamander.
Further updates will be reported as they become available.
Source: Facebook pages of Pata Zoo,Friends of Beasts Zoo