Skullduggery at the zoo

The skulls of three Big Cats – a lion, a jaguar, a leopard – have gone missing from the Dehiwala zoo, it was reported yesterday.

Acting on a tip-off, staff of the National Zoological Gardens checked the zoo hospital’s cold storage room and confirmed that the three items were missing. Zoo director B. Gunaratne told the Sunday Times that a minor employee has been arrested.

“This is a most unusual theft and we are investigating,” Mr. Gunaratne said. “Skulls and carcases are stored for research purposes. We have a large collection of dead animal specimens and we are going through our inventories to see if any other items are missing.”