A zookeeper at a zoo in Japan was caught stealing fruit for the animals.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 10th (local time), Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, Japan reported to the police that fruits and vegetables used as animal feed continued to disappear.
The police identified a 47-year-old male zookeeper working in the animal control department as the suspect and narrowed their investigation net.
It was discovered that this zookeeper had been secretly stealing food from monkeys and chimpanzees.
The zoo apologized, saying, “We are sincerely sorry,” and said it would work to prevent the incident from happening again. Tennoji Zoo, located in central Osaka, is a popular facility boasting a 100-year history.
Police are investigating the specific motive for the crime.
Netizens said on social networking services (SNS), “Isn’t the food stolen to resell? “If I had eaten alone, I wouldn’t have had so much fruit.”, “Poor monkeys. No matter how much product prices are rising, it is not something humans would do.”
On the other hand, some people responded with pity for the zookeeper, saying, “The zoo should have provided more sufficient wages to its employees,” and “Wasn’t there anything to eat?”
According to JobTag, a job search website related to Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, the average annual salary of a zookeeper in Japan is 3.6 million yen (about 33 million won). Last year, the average annual salary in Japan was known to be 4.6 million yen (about 42 million won).
Kim Ye-seul, Donga.com reporter seul56@donga.com