Mother’s love behind abduction of baby baboon from Macedonian capital’s zoo

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The mystery of a baby baboon abducted from Skopje’s zoo had a bittersweet resolution: A mother says she stole it as a gift for her deaf son.

The 26-year-old woman told Dnevnik newspaper took that she lifted Luka, an 18-month-old crowd favourite, as a belated birthday present for her 7-year-old son. The woman said frequent visits to the zoo in Macedonia’s capital had left her boy “in love with the monkey.” She was not identified in line with Macedonian regulations concerning suspects.

Police said Luka was taken Tuesday by two people who cut nets at his enclosure. He was rescued about four hours later. Two people have been charged with burglary-related offences.

Abandoned by his mother after birth, Luka has become a favourite for children visiting the zoo.