Mother 'steals baby baboon from zoo as gift for daughter'

Two people have been arrested and charged with burglary after a baby baboon was stolen from a zoo in Macedonia.

Luka was snatched after thieves managed to cut a hole in the enclosure at Skopje Zoo and escaped with him in a taxi to Kavadarci, about 50 miles south of the Macedonian capital.

One of the suspects has been identified by local media as a 26-year-old woman who allegedly wanted to give the baboon to her daughter, who had fallen in love with the animal on a previous visit.

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Authorities said they were able to retrieve Luka soon after the incident took place after witnesses alerted police, the Associated Press reports.

"Luka is in good health ... and has been reunited with its younger brother," the zoo said.

The baby monkey was hand-reared by zoo keepers and had become the star attraction at the animal centre.

The couple now face up to three years in prison if found guilty of theft.