Israel Police arrested a suspect involved in the theft of 36 parrots from the Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo on Thursday, including six rare birds and 20 lorikeets.
The parrots have an estimated total value of approximately 1,200,000 NIS, and some of the stolen parrots were species in danger of extinction, the police added. Among the stolen birds were a Hyacinth macaw, blue-throated macaw, and a Southern red-billed hornbill.
All of the birds have been examined and transferred back to the zoo, just 12 hours after they were stolen, however, some of the birds are in critical condition due to the conditions in which they were transported and kept.
The suspects fled by traveling to the West Bank village of Hable near Kalkilya.
Zoo CEO Sigalit Hertz said that they believe the individuals involved were "animal traffickers who knew exactly what to steal."
Animal trafficking has been increasing recently, with criminals focusing primarily on rare species with high financial value on the black market, Maariv reported.
Police, INPA conducted successful raids in recent weeks
Israel Police discovered a black lemur, parrots, Egyptian chameleons, and a stuffed Israeli gazelle during a raid at a residence in Netanya on Tuesday.
On Monday, authorities found three vervet monkeys across Israel, as part of a wave of wild animals seized over recent weeks.
On March 16, police found that monkeys and lion cubs were being illegally smuggled into Israel via drones from Egypt and Jordan.