Canadian police tracked down a tiger and two camels stolen last week while en route to a zoo in Ontario province, an official told AFP Tuesday.
The animals were found overnight after thieves snatched them from a motel parking lot in rural Quebec Friday where their handlers had stopped to rest.
"It seems the thieves took good care of them," said Quebec provincial police spokesman, Sergeant Ronald McInnis.
The owners speculated the thieves were really after the trailer used to transport the exotic creatures, which is made of aluminum -- a valuable scrap metal -- and feared they would find their animals abandoned and dehydrated.
Police located the truck used to pull the trailer soon after the theft, but had difficulty finding the animals.
Hundreds of officers were assigned to the search, checking barns and other buildings for the lost animals.
McInnis said an anonymous tip led to the recovery of Jonas the tiger, and camels Shawn and Todd.
The animals and the trailer were found near Saint-Liboire, Quebec, not far from where they disappeared about 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Montreal.
After being checked by a veterinarian, the tiger and camels were sent on their way to the zoo in Bowmanville, Ontario, McInnis said.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
