It is common to have agents from animal control capture and take away animals that may pose a threat to themselves or other people. These animals are often taken to animal shelters or reintegrated into the wild after some time. It is rare for animals to be taken into custody by law enforcement, although there are cases where this has occurred. You may be thinking that this is silly since a country’s judicial system is developed for people who know what’s right and wrong and understand that their actions have consequences. Well, there are animals that have actually been placed behind bars. Let’s take a look at some of these instances.

1. The Pigeon Spy

A local resident spotted a Pakistani pigeon in Punjab, India. You may be wondering how someone could tell the nationality of the bird. Well, Pakistani pigeons are known for being white. There were a few things about this bird that led people to suspect that it wasn’t any ordinary bird. The bird had a foot ring with a number and address from Pakistan stamped on it. People came to the conclusion that the bird was part of espionage. The bird was therefore arrested and placed in a room with several armed guards. It wasn’t allowed visitors and senior officials on the case had to be briefed three times a day. Crazily enough, the pigeon one day disappeared from custody.

2. Mookie the Monkey

Mookie, a Simian monkey from Florida, had no history of violence; however, he was startled by the noise of a passing truck and bit a man who was petting him at that very moment. The stranger was warned by Brad Berman, Mookie’s owner, that he shouldn’t pet the monkey but he disregarded the admonition. Mookie was arrested for this assault and placed under house arrest for thirty days by the police. During this time, the authorities ensured that the monkey was rabies free. Berman thought that this punishment was too harsh.     

3. Cat Smuggler

A cat was spotted on the grounds of the Alagoas prison in Brazil. An officer one day noticed that the cat had a bag strapped to its body which contained a cell phone with a charger, small saw blades and some digging tools. The cat was raised by the prisoners and it was often sent out of the prison to meet the prisoners’ families who would place bags filled with items on the cat. The cat would then return to the prisoners to deliver the goods. This furry feline friend was arrested for smuggling contraband.

4. The Magical Goat 

In 2009, a goat was taken into custody by Nigerian police on suspicion of attempted armed robbery. While on patrol, a group of men, believed to be town vigilantes, observed a car robbery in progress. The vigilantes captured all the robbers except one who ran into an alley. The vigilantes pursued him but only found a goat in the alley. The men were convinced that the escapee had transformed himself into a goat through some sort of witchcraft. They therefore took the goat to the police station with the rest of the thieves.

5. Vagrant Monkey

Gosha, a macaque monkey, was raised by a wealthy family in Biysk, Siberia, but when it became uncontrollable, the family had to let it go. Gosha became homeless and was adopted by some homeless people who lived as squatters in an abandoned building. In 2003, the police raided the house and arrested everyone in it, including the monkey. Since it was too costly to deport the monkey back to Africa, the police officials later made a decision to place Gosha in the Novosibirsk Zoo.