Endangered monkeys stolen from Wollongong zoo

Eight endangered monkeys, including two six-month-old babies, have been stolen from a Wollongong wildlife park.

A pair of cotton-top tamarins, their two six-month-old babies, and four three-year-old pygmy marmosets were stolen from the monkey enclosure at Symbio Wildlife Park yesterday morning, police and park officials said.

The thieves appeared to have broken into the enclosure but it is not yet known how they entered the park.

Park officials said the monkeys needed specialised housing and diet to survive.

In an entry on the Park's Facebook page a park representative stated "if they are not returned home safely, they may not survive, the whole team at Symbio are extremely worried.

"These animals are part of international breeding programs and are crucial to the survival of the species.

"There are only 300 cotton top tamarins left in the wild, so time is running out."

It's the second theft in two weeks from NSW zoos with two female South American parrots having been stolen from Taronga Zoo on 20th May.