A group of most Asian American kindergartners found an endangered lemur stolen from the San Francisco Zoo — and the adorable discovery was all caught on tape.
Maki, the elderly ring-tailed lemur, has been safely returned to the zoo where he was born and raised, ABC7 reports. The primate was reported missing on Wednesday following a burglary.
Police announced Friday that a suspect has been arrested in connection to the theft, according to SFGate. They found photos of the lemur in the suspect’s phone.
The possible motive of the break-in and theft has not been disclosed, NBC reports.
“It’s kind of unbelievable. I can’t understand myself,” San Francisco Police Lt. Scott Ryan said, according to ABC7.
The kindergarteners were walking in a church parking lot next to the playground when five-year-old James Trinh spotted the wild animal, according to ABC7. He alerted his mother and called over his friends and their caregivers, who called animal control.
“Then the lemur jumped over the gate and he was there,” one of the kindergarteners said.
According to cell phone footage taken on Thursday evening, Maki was seen wandering around a yard and entering a playhouse, ABC reports.
As a result of Trinh’s discovery, San Francisco Zoo Director Tanya Peterson announced Trinh Family will receive a lifetime zoo membership, thanking the kindergarteners for coming together to save a life.
Additionally, Hope Lutheran was awarded $2,100. Hope Lutheran Day School Director Cynthia Huang told ABC7 that Maki’s discovery was an important lesson.
“It really was a reminder that we still can experience happy moments during the pandemic and also let the children see there is hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Huang said.
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