'Extremely rare' turtles stolen from Dudley Zoo found dumped near Tipton playground
Two "extremely rare" turtles which were stolen from Dudley Zoo have been found dumped near to a playground three miles away.
Keepers discovered that the Coahuilan Box Turtles were missing from their exhibit at the Reptile House on Saturday morning.
The two males turtles have now been found by a member of the public near to a playground in Tipton and were returned to their home at the zoo just after 9am this morning.
The reptiles were believe to have been stolen in a "targeted theft", with the lock to the exhibit said to have been "damaged".
A spokesperson for Dudley Zoo and Castle, said: "A huge thank you to everyone who shared our social media posts and helped us retrieve them so quickly.
"Both males have been checked over by our veterinary team and appear to be well.
"They have been returned to the Reptile House where they will remain off-show in quarantine for the next week.
"Work will continue over the next few days as we install extra security measures alongside the Reptile House exhibit window locks and staff will continue manning the area."
