Greg's Corner

Craigslist used in elaborate animal scheme

Yesterday, headlines from all over the country discussed how several exotic animals were allegedly stolen from a wildlife sanctuary in South Florida. The animals taken included at least seven lemurs, 12 tortoises, four monkeys and five marmosets. The theft was blamed on a craigslist ad placed in the area that claimed the sanctuary was going out of business and anyone could come claim an animal for free.

On the surface, that doesn’t sound too implausible. Craigslist has often used by either pranksters, or people with vendettas, who post ads that say anything from a single item to an entire property full of items are being given away, even though the poster has no authority to do so. Due to craigslist’s lackadaisical attitude when it comes to moderation, this has become an all too common occurrence.

However, this story goes beyond the usual craigslist vandalism when it was reported that the sanctuary owners were not only the ones who allegedly stole the animals themselves, but also were said to have placed the craigslist ad to try to throw authorities off their tail, so to speak. Police believe the owners staged the fake burglary to prevent any more animals being taken from the sanctuary as they previously had other animals seized by authorities.

While this is one of the more unusual crimes committed through craigslist, at this point it should really come as no surprise.