A baby pygmy marmoset stolen with two other monkeys from a wildlife park south of Sydney has been found alive, and two men arrested, after police stopped a car in the city's south-west.
A call to Crime Stoppers led police to stop and search the car at Appin on Sunday afternoon after a public appeals to return the monkeys taken from the Symbio Wildlife Park at Helensburgh.
There was particular concern about the the four-week-old baby pygmy marmoset, whose separation from its mother would have likely been fatal.
The two men in the car were questioned by police, arrested and taken to Campbelltown Police station.
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The baby marmoset was given 24 hours to live by the park's owner, John Radnidge, who said the monkey was still reliant on its mother's milk.
The baby monkey has been returned to the wildlife park for further examination and care.
"Yes, it has been returned back to us," said Mr Radnidge. "It's very, very frightened but in a reasonable condition. We are just leaving it to get some rest and quiet before reintroducing it to its mother."
"The mother is very stressed, as is the baby's twin," Mr Radnidge said.
Mr Radnidge thanked the public for their support saying it was "absolutely critical" in the baby marmoset being returned.
Police say the whereabouts of the two other stolen marmosets, 10-year-old Gomez and nine-month-old Sophia, are still unknown.
"These are animals that require specialised diets," Mr Radnidge said. "They will simply die unless they're returned; there's no benefit to anybody not having them with us."
"You cannot keep a critically endangered species without being detected. If you have the world's smallest monkey in your home people are going to wonder where you got it."
The three monkeys were discovered missing on Saturday. Police were called to the park at 8am where they found evidence of forced entry into the monkeys' enclosure.
Pygmy marmoset monkeys, native to South America, are the world's smallest monkeys. The size of a human thumb at birth, the babies need constant attention and must feed every couple of hours.
According to the San Diego Zoo their "largest threat is the pet trade, due to their tiny size, cuddly appearance, and appealing face. We cannot express this enough: monkeys do not make good pets."
In Australia, exotic animals such as monkeys can only be held by people with an appropriate licence, usually only for exhibition or conservation purposes, and cannot be sold commercially or kept as pets by private owners.
Police are now appealing for public help to find the missing monkeys and have urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.