Zookeeper stole two pengiuns
HE SOLD THE ANIMALS TO COUNTY BUYER
A FORMER zookeeper has been jailed for stealing two penguins and selling them to a Nottinghamshire buyer.
Bradley Tomes, 25, stole Humboldt penguins Pablo and Penny, worth £53,000, from South Lakes Safari Zoo, in Cumbria.
He also stole numerous other exotic birds, including spoonbills, macaws and egrets, when he burgled the attraction overnight on two occasions in July and October 2018.
Police were alerted in January last year when an exotic animal collector from Nottinghamshire contacted them to report he had bought two penguins for £9,000 from a seller on Facebook, but they were in poor health.
When Tomes went to refund the buyer and collect the penguins, native to the Pacific coast of Chile and Peru, officers were waiting to arrest him.
Twelve Roseate spoonbills, valued at almost £20,000 and part of the only collection of the breed in the UK, have not been traced, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.
Wendy Evans, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Bradley Tomes showed utter disregard to the wellbeing of the birds he stole from his previous employer for his own financial gain.
“He begged the buyer not to contact police and tried to return the money he had received for the penguins.
“In police interview he denied committing the offences, but once faced with the overwhelming evidence against him, he pleaded guilty.
“This included clear evidence of him planning the thefts to order. He told police he had not attended the zoo in 2018, but a witness who knew him proved he made a reconnaissance trip to the zoo, as well as being present on the days of the burglaries.”
Tomes was jailed for two years and eight months at Preston Crown Court last week.
A spokesman for Cumbria Constabulary said: “Tomes put the lives of the two penguins at risk and he continued to deny the offences.
“Thankfully the man who bought the penguins contacted vets due to their poor condition and reported the incident to police, against the pleas of Tomes who offered to return the money.
“We would encourage anyone with concerns around wildlife crime to contact police, we are committed to tackling the problem and will seek to prosecute those who exploit our most endangered wildlife for their own gain.”