Photos of the Siberian lynx left behind, which “looks identical” to the missing felines. (Via the Frederick County Virginia Sheriff’s Office)
Two Siberian lynxes were stolen from a wild animal park in Virginia, law enforcement officials say.
The owners of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Winchester, Va., reported the theft on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. It occurred some time between 6 p.m. on December 19 and 3:30 p.m. on December 20. The park is currently closed for the season.
The enclosure had three 10 month-old lynxes, one of which was left behind. Zoo owner Keith Wilson told The Washington Post that a male and female feline were taken, and the remaining female is “upset that she’s not with the rest of them.”
Each is worth about $4,000, the sheriff’s office said.
Wilson has yet to name the lynxes, which came to the animal park about a month ago. He told The Post that, though the park has been open for 40 years, it experienced its first theft three months ago—a spider monkey and two lemurs.
Wilson said that all the stolen animals share one thing: a high monetary value. “There’s a certain amount of knowledge needed to catch or capture them and care for them,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it’s a professional animal person doing this.”
Rachel Kurzius