The lemur, Isaac, is safe.
Kasbar, left, and Isaac, rightfrom the Santa Ana Zoo signed a plea agreement Monday, the Department of Justice said.
Aquinas Kasbar of Newport Beach agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of unlawfully taking an endangered species. He could face up to one year in prison, as well as a $100,000 fine. The animal in question, named Isaac, is a 32-year-old, ring-tailed lemur — the oldest of its species in captivity in North America. The animals are only found in the wild in Madagascar and are among the 25 most endangered primates due in part to the illegal pet trade.
Kasbar told federal prosecutors that he snuck into the zoo after hours on July 27, 2018 because he wanted a pet lemur. He used a bolt cutter to make a hole in the fence surrounding the lemur and capuchin monkey enclosure, which resulted in the escape of many of the exhibit's animals. They were all retrieved, but the time spent to re-capture the animals and repair the enclosure cost the Santa Ana zoo approximately $8,486.
Per the DOJ press release, Kasbar put Isaac in"a plastic drawer that lacked ventilation holes," to transport him out of the zoo.the Newport Beach Marriott Bayview hotel with a handwritten note asking that he be returned to the zoo.DOJ Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Isaac is healthy.❤️Our capuchins, lemurs and Issac in particular are all safe and accounted for after last weekend’s after-hours break in.
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