Two Emperor Tamarin monkeys were reported missing from a zoo in Dallas, Texas, making the facility issue a warning.          The Dallas Police Department on Jan. 30 launched a search after seeing that their habitat was “intentionally compromised.”

In a news release, zoo officials said the monkeys would likely stay close to home and started searching similar areas. However, preliminary investigation reveals that the creatures were likely taken.

The latest incident comes after a series of other cases at the Dallas Zoo, including another missing animal. On Jan. 13, a clouded leopard named Nova was intentionally let out of her habitat. After searching, the leopard was found sleeping in a tree that evening.

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Ten days after Nova’s incident, someone killed an endangered lappet-faced vulture named Pin.

“This goes from being about malicious and gets into really criminal intent that’s dangerous,” Dallas Zoo President and CEO Gregg Hudson told reporters during a Jan. 23 press conference. “I’ve been in the zoo profession over 30-plus years, and never had a situation like what happened Saturday. It’s unprecedented and very disturbing.”

Harrison Edell, Dallas Zoo’s executive vice president for animal care and conservation said that day: “Deaths are always difficult. But this is especially challenging. There’s a good chance lappet-faced vultures could move to critically endangered or even go extinct in our lifetime.”

What are Emperor Tamarin?

The emperor tamarin, also known as Saguinus imperator, is a species of tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. They live in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas and the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia.

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The fur of the emperor tamarin is predominantly grey colored, with yellowish speckles on its chest. The hands and feet are black and the tail is brown. It has a long white beard, which extends to both sides beyond the shoulders. The animal reaches a length of 23–26 centimetres (9–10 in), plus a 35–41.5 cm (13.8–16.3 in) long tail. It weighs approximately 500 grams.

The age of first reproduction in emperor tamarins is around 16–20 months old, with a gestation period of up to 6 months. They are seasonal breeders and is based around food availability. Most births occur during the wet season when food resources are in abundance.