Animal bandit makes off with 'Squishy' the turtle from Houston Zoo

PHOTO: Squishy the turtle was allegedly stolen from Houston Zoo. He is a rare snake-necked turtle.

Pictured: A recently-hatched endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtle June 7, 2007, in San Diego. The snake-necked turtle is the most geographically restricted of any turtle species, only inhabiting the southern part of Roti Island, a small Indonesian island. The San Diego Zoo is part of conservation and breeding efforts of this Asian species that is now almost extinct in the wild. (AP Photo/Zoological Society of San Diego, Ken Bohn) Pictured: A recently-hatched endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtle June 7, 2007, in San Diego. The snake-necked turtle is the most geographically restricted of any turtle species, only inhabiting the southern part of Roti Island, a small Indonesian island. The San Diego Zoo is part of conservation and breeding efforts of this Asian species that is now almost extinct in the wild. (AP Photo/Zoological Society of San Diego, Ken Bohn) less PHOTO: Squishy the turtle was allegedly stolen from Houston Zoo. He is a rare snake-necked turtle.

Pictured: A recently-hatched endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtle June 7, 2007, in San Diego. The Pictured: A recently-hatched endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtle June 7, 2007, in San Diego. The ... more Photo: Ken Bohn Photo: Ken Bohn Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Animal bandit makes off with 'Squishy' the turtle from Houston Zoo 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

Houston Zoo is missing one its beloved residents.

In March, a suspect allegedly acquired "Squishy," a rare snake-necked turtle valued at more than $2,500, unlawfully from Natural Encounters exhibit.

According to a Houston Police Department report, Houston resident Jaden Andel, 21, posed for a souvenir photo taken by a zoo photographer before leaving with the turtle in an Uber.

The Uber driver reported the turtle-totting passenger to the zoo. He said the suspect was excited about "liberating" a turtle from the zoo, according to court documents.

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Andel's apartment managers said they saw the suspect with the turtle. Andel reportedly boasted that it was stolen from Houston Zoo, according to court documents.

By the time police tracked down Andel, the suspect was no longer living at the apartment complex. Andel reportedly told the manager that the turtle had been released to a safe place.

"The Houston Zoo will not tolerate the theft or endangerment of any of our animals, big or small," Houston Zoo said in a release.

"On March 5, a visitor stole a 16-year-old Siebenrock's snake-necked turtle named "Squishy" from our zoo. After extensive investigation by HPD detectives, we are prepared to prosecute to the furthest extent the law allows and do everything we can to get Squishy returned safely."

Anyone with information on Andel's whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message