Colorful Thief Steals Exotic Butterfly From Nature Conservatory: Cops

Bug thieves. They exist, apparently, and cops in Cincinnati say there's one on the loose in the Buckeye State.

The Cincinnati Police Department says a woman absconded with a blue morpho butterfly from the city's Krohn Conservatory Sunday.

Surveillance footage shows a woman they say is the thief as she shows up for a butterfly show wearing a neon pink and purple top that would have allowed her to fit right in surrounded by the showy insects.

But this woman wasn't just there to observe, cops say.

All visitors are inspected to make sure they don't walk out accidentally with a butterfly attached to them, according to the CPD.

Though the exotic insect is native to South America and needs a warmer climate to survive, one concern with non-native species of any kind is that they could proliferate and become problematic to native flora or fauna.

It's unclear what a thief might want with the butterfly, but they are sometimes used in jewelry and decorative objects.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (513) 352-3040.

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