Zookeeper in Japan steals chimpanzees’ food, leaves zoo’s food bank in short supply

Animals’ food mysteriously disappears at Tennoji Zoo, turns out zookeeper was stealing them

A 47-year-old zookeeper at the Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, Japan, has been caught allegedly stealing food intended for the chimpanzees and other animals under his care.

NewsBytes reported that the issue first came to light after zoo staff noted a significant decrease in the animal food supply, prompting an internal investigation.

The zoo then filed a police report, and the man, who worked at the Animal Care and Breeding Showcase department at the facility, was eventually caught sneaking food out on October 1.

The zoo’s vice director, Kiyoshi Yasufuku, has since apologised, acknowledging that the incident has “hurt people’s trust” in the facility.

Yasufuku also assured that the century-old zoo, home to roughly 1,000 animals across 170 species, will implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Questions arise over why Japan zookeeper stole animal food

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the zookeeper’s motive remains unknown as police continue their investigation.

A zoo spokesperson noted that they are unable to disclose specific details, including the motivation for the theft, while investigations are ongoing.

The news has sparked widespread speculation on social media about the zookeeper’s reasons for stealing the food, with some attributing it to financial struggles.

South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the average annual salary for a Japanese zookeeper is 3.6 million yen (around S$31,610), according to a job search website linked to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

This figure falls below the national average annual salary of 4.6 million yen in 2023, as reported by the National Tax Agency.

Public weighs in on bizarre case

Netizens have taken to social media to express their outrage, surprise, and amusement over the incident.

Comments reported by Japan Today highlight public sentiment, with some suggesting that he may have stolen the food for personal use or resale.

“Is the economy that bad?” asked a netizen.

“Poor monkeys. Even though commodity prices are rising, there are things a proper person should never do,” said another.

Zoo previously mistaken on hippo’s gender

This incident is not the first time Tennoji Zoo has made headlines.

Earlier this year, the zoo admitted to mistakenly identifying a 12-year-old female hippopotamus as male since its arrival in 2017.

The mix-up was discovered only after a DNA test, conducted after zookeepers noticed the hippo was not exhibiting typical male behaviours, reported The Straits Times.

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Featured image adapted from Janosch Diggelmann on Unsplash for illustrative purposes only, and Tennoji Zoo on Facebook.