Dwarf used his short stature to steal wallaby cubs from Russian zoos

Ivan Nekrasov, 31, was captured by police near a railway station in the town of Alexandrov in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, on September 30.

In his car, officers found a chequered shopping bag where he had stuffed the two red-necked wallabies which he had stolen from the Kaluga Zoo. One of the animals was still alive but the other had sadly died by the time Nekrasov was caught.

Police had been on the hunt for him ever since September 27, when a baby kangaroo named Krosh was stolen from the Yaroslavl Zoo in the early morning.

During questioning, Nekrasov confessed to the crime and told police he had already sold the third animal, while the one he was caught with that was still alive he had planned on exchanging for a macaque to keep as a pet. Red-necked wallabies, which are native to Australia, are in high demand on international black markets where they are bought for private zoos or bred with others to be butchered for their meat.

Nekrasov reportedly admitted that he planned on making a business out of illegally trading the animals. It also emerged that he had a previous criminal history of committing petty thefts and breaking into people's homes.

Nekrasov, who was diagnosed with dwarfism and only grew to a height of around 150 centimetres, used his short growth as an advantage to quickly disappear into crowds when he stole the animals from the zoos as people often mistook him for a child.

At one point, Nekrasov had somehow got his hands on a crocodile and tried to move to Sochi with it. He brought the predator to the Ministry of Internal Affairs department so that they would sign a permit for transportation. But the reptile was confiscated and handed over to veterinarians.

Nekrasov was also caught committing other cruelties against animals: he drowned local cats in the village of Tarnogsky Gorodok, where he lived in a small house near a church.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: "The suspect has been taken to the police station, where investigative actions are underway. Criminal cases have been initiated by local law enforcement agencies under part 2 of article 158 of the Russian Criminal Code (theft).

"The rescued marsupial is now being cared for at the Yaroslavl Zoo, where it is receiving necessary veterinary care."

Investigators are currently searching for the third wallaby that Nekrasov allegedly sold.

He was charged with theft and cruelty to animals and is facing up to five years in prison. Medics say that a person is classified as having dwarfism if they have a height of around 4ft 10in (147 cm) or less as an adult.

But dwarfism which the arrested man was diagnosed with does not have a universally fixed height threshold in all contexts, and around 150 cm is generally accepted by medical professionals.

Story: Newsflash