A man accused of breaking into the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens last year and stealing a ring-tailed lemur — an endangered species — made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California via video link from a Los Angeles jail on Monday.
Federal prosecutors say 31-year-old Cory McGilloway, of Los Angeles, has been charged with violating the Endangered Species Act, and, if convicted, he could face up to a year in jail and as much as $50,000 in fines.
Prosecutors allege that McGilloway allegedly kidnapped a 21-year-old male ring-tailed lemur named Maki from the San Francisco Zoo's Lipman Family Lemur Forest on Oct. 13, 2020.
According to previous KCBS reporting, Maki was reported missing the next morning and investigators discovered evidence of a forced entry to his enclosure. A frantic search was made for the animal. The zoo, which is home to just four ring-tailed lemurs, also announced a $2,100 reward for information leading to Maki's safe return.
Two days after the alleged theft, a 5-year-old boy found Maki unattended at a playground in Daly City. The lemur, who was hungry, dehydrated and agitated, was rescued and returned to the San Francisco Zoo, prosecutors said.
Police arrested McGilloway in San Rafael later that night.
California residents are banned from having lemurs as pets because of their endangered status.
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