Zoo too? Houston Zoo latest to deal with suspicious incident

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Police are investigating possible vandalism at the Houston Zoo after workers discovered a four-inch gap cut into the mesh that covers a habitat with brown pelicans. The damage to the habitat comes after a series of thefts and incidents of vandalism at zoos around the country, including the theft of two monkeys from the Dallas Zoo and the theft of 12 squirrel monkeys in Louisiana. Houston Zoo said in a statement Wednesday that after workers discovered the hole on Monday, they searched the area and found the animals inside were secure and safe. A Houston police spokesman says the agency’s property and financial crimes division is handling the investigation but it’s still “pretty early.”