Up before the beak
Man is held after ‘cold-case’ cops pick up a zoo’s stolen penguins
IT WAS a cold case police were desperate to solve…
Two penguins snatched from a zoo in November were found fit and chirpy near a sleepy village after a tip-off.
They have now been reunited with their relieved keepers and a 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and theft.
Sergeant Andrew Browning, who worked on the case, said: “This really is one to tell the grandchildren.
“There’s no way we thought we would go down there and actually find two penguins.
“It made everyone laugh, particularly the custody sergeant who was booking us in. It was a real off-the-wall find.”
Nottinghamshire Police, who posted pictures of the birds on Facebook, said: “We acted quickly on a tip-off that a pair of Humboldt penguins taken in November were now believed to be residing in Notts. “After putting our beak in and making inquiries, we recovered the birds safe and well on Wednesday afternoon and returned them to the zoo.”
The penguins were discovered close to Strelley, to the west of Nottingham. The pretty village is next to a large post-war housing estate.
Last night it emerged the arrested man had been released under investigation.
Police would not say whether or not his bank accounts had been frozen.