What to Know
- A man faces charges for allegedly filing a false police report in which he said exotic animals were stolen.
- The animals are safe and being cared for in North Carolina.
It seems lemurs, tamarins, marmosets and a capuchin were not stolen from a wildlife sanctuary, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
MDPD said it arrested 41-year-old Josue Santiago for allegedly filing a false police report in which he said a burglary occurred at the We Care Wildlife Sanctuary, stating exotic animals valued at $53,400 were stolen.
Santiago staged a burglary to the sanctuary, according to police.
"As investigators continued to follow all leads, they determined that the sanctuary had several exotic animals previously removed by authorities," MDPD said in a statement. "To avoid further sanction for the remaining animals, Santiago gathered seven lemurs, three red-handed tamarins, five marmosets, one cotton-top tamarin and one white-faced capuchin, and drove the animals to North Carolina."
Santiago faces charges for allegedly filing a false police report and providing false information during the course of an investigation.
The animals are safe and being cared for in North Carolina. It was initially reported that the theft of the animals came from a false claim in a post on Craigslist that the sanctuary was going out of business and giving up its exotic animals.
