By Dee DeQuattro, WPRO News

A thief has stolen from the animals at Roger Williams Park Zoo. The zoo says that at some point between Nov. 28 and Dec. 4 somebody broke into a donation collection box at the animal giving tree that raises money to enrich the animals lives.

The box is located in the elephant and giraffe pavilion at the zoo and according to zoo officials it typically raises between $100 and $200 a week.

“We’re saddened that someone would do this. One of our primary concerns at this point is that that we will not be able to thank anyone who made gifts during that timeframe. People have been generous, and it is very much appreciated. We also want to let people know that if they wrote a check for the giving tree during this time period, they may want to put a stop payment on it,” said Janet Mariani, the Zoo’s director of marketing and public relations.

The money goes towards buying toys, scent based stimuli, and other enriching materials for the zoo’s animals.

The zoo has rebuilt the collection box to ensure maximum security.