Here’s one heist story that has a happy ending.

After thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of water purifying equipment from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation on Oct. 2, the company that installed the system replaced it — at no cost — a week later.

Royal Palm Beach-based Aqua Soft Water Systems re-installed the $8,000 reverse osmosis water system at the nonprofit foundation Wednesday.

The company has worked with the 30-acre wildlife conservation center for more than 25 years, RSCF director Paul Reillo said, and immediately stepped in to help after the system was stolen less than 24 hours after it was installed.

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"What would have otherwise ended in despair and depression actually turned out to be a very happy story," Reillo said.

The theft of the purification system, which can produce 2,000 gallons per day of top-quality drinking water and which Reillo deems critical for wildlife health, was an organized effort that took place under the cover of darkness, he said.

The system was housed in a stand-alone outbuilding, hundreds of feet from the nearest fenceline and public road, and behind a locked gate on a 5-acre parcel of land recently acquired by the foundation.

Nevertheless, the thieves were able to access the building, dismantle the system piece by piece, carry it across an open field, lift it over the fence and take it away, Reillo said.

The property has a security system, but it wasn’t in use at the time of the theft because the water system was not yet working.

"It was almost finished when thieves came and stole it," Reillo said of the equipment, which weighs hundreds of pounds. "They stole everything. We worked on it on Monday, and they stole it Tuesday before we even had a chance to make it operational."

Reillo said he believed the theft was the work of professionals who are familiar with water systems like the one the conservatory installed.

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The thieves — Reillo said there is no way one person could have committed the crime because of the logistics involved — took apart the entire system and stole all its critical components.

"It was a really well-coordinated effort," Reillo said. "They took the time to take apart the components. Each and every piece could conveniently be put in service some place else."

Reillo, who reported the theft to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, said he can only speculate who is responsible for the theft.

The foundation has eight employees, but Reillo said he is the only one on staff who has any experience installing reverse osmosis water systems. In addition, just a couple of people knew the system was being installed.

"It’s perplexing and troubling that somebody would do this, particularly robbing from a charity," said Reillo, who says he was told by deputies that it was unlikely the equipment would be recovered or the thieves apprehended. "That’s a bad thing."

Aqua Soft helped turn things around.

"We have a longstanding relationship with Aqua Soft, and they’re great people," Reillo said. "They told us they were going to replace the whole thing, and they were going to take care of us."

Aqua Soft sales manager Jeff McElroy said he’s known Reillo "for close to 30 years, and I admire what he does and what he stands for." "This wasn’t Paul’s fault, and it wasn’t our fault. Every now and then, you have to do something that’s good, that’s right. What’s best for the community is to help somebody out who’s in need."

The Rare Species Conservatory Foundation develops and implements conservation and recovery strategies for some of the world’s most endangered wildlife. For information, visit www.rarespecies.org.