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 07 September 2008 01:52 BST

Man arrested over SpongeBob monkey theft

Wednesday, 23 Aug 2006 12:57
SpongeBob the squirrel monkey was found in Clapham last month
A man has been arrested in connection with the theft of a rare squirrel monkey from a Surrey zoo.

The disappearance of SpongeBob the monkey last month led to a high-profile media campaign and the endangered primate was eventually found playing with children in Clapham Common, south-west London.

He was returned to the zoo at Chessington World of Adventures on July 19th, having allegedly been stolen two days earlier.

It was thought that the two-year-old was deliberately targeted as he is the only breeding monkey of his type in England and concern was high for his safety.

But a member of the public who had seen his picture in newspapers returned the monkey to the zoo and he was said to be recovering from his ordeal well, although he was "hungry and stressed" for some time afterwards.

And today, officers from the Metropolitan police arrested a 22-year-old man from Brixton in south London at 08:45 BST in relation to the case and he is being questioned at a south London police station.

Bolivian squirrel monkeys like SpongeBob usually live in the rainforests of Central and South America and three species are on the world's endangered list.

Scientists also believe them to be among the most intelligent of animals as they have the highest proportionate brain size of all primates.End of story


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