Third person charged over Perth Zoo’s stolen meerkat

A THIRD person has been charged over the theft of a baby meerkat from Perth Zoo, which has since been recovered and reunited with its mob.

The meerkitten was stolen in September when it was one month old, and staff were unsure whether it had been taken by a visitor or snatched by a predatory bird.

It was found two days later during a search of a home in the town of Beverley in WA’s Wheatbelt region, about 130km east of Perth.

Police said on Wednesday they had charged a 31-year-old Beverley woman with possessing stolen property and she has been summonsed to appear before the Northam Magistrates Court on December 10.

Jesse Ray Hooker, 22, was previously charged with stealing, while Aimee Cummins, 23, was charged with receiving.

The pair are due to make their second appearance in the Perth Magistrates Court later on Wednesday.

The zoo has been reviewing security around the meerkat enclosure, while the male meerkitten has been named Salama, which means ‘safe’ in the African dialect of Kiswahili.