Man arrested also charged with other crimes at Dallas Zoo: Police

Davion Irvin was charged with six counts of animal cruelty

DALLAS — The man charged in the taking of two emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo has also been charged in two other recent incidents there involving holes that were cut in the fences for enclosures housing langur monkeys and a clouded leopard, authorities said Friday.

Davion Irvin, 24, has been charged with two counts of burglary to a building in connection with the cutting of the enclosure fences for the clouded leopard and langur monkeys, Dallas police spokeswoman Kristin Lowman said during a news conference. The langur monkeys didn’t escape and weren’t harmed. The leopard did but was later found safe near its pen.

Lowman said police were still investigating whether there’s any connection to the suspicious death of an endangered vulture at the zoo.

Irvin was arrested Thursday on six counts of animal cruelty — three each for the two emperor tamarin monkeys that were taken, police said. His bail was set at $25,000 and jail records didn’t list an attorney for him.

The tamarin monkeys went missing Monday and a cut was found in their enclosure’s fencing. the suspicious death of an endangered vulture.

After getting a tip, police found the small monkeys named Bella and Finn the day after they were taken. They were in the closet of a vacant home south of the zoo.

Earlier this week, police released a photo and a video taken from the zoo of a man they said they wanted to speak with about the missing monkeys.

Police said Friday that they arrested Irvin after receiving a tip that he had been seen near the animal exhibits at The Dallas World Aquarium. Responding officers saw him boarding the city’s light rail, and then spotted him a few blocks away, police said. He was then taken to police headquarters for questioning.