The animal disappeared from the sanctuary on Thursday morning

May 3, 2014 06:37 GMT  ·  By

A group of daring thieves have stolen a 47-stone (660-pound or 300-kg) lion from an animal rehabilitation center in southeastern Brazil, police reports.

According to Daily Mirror, a nine-year-old lion named Rawell disappeared from the sanctuary that cares for abandoned animals on the outskirts of Monte Azul Paulista city, near Sao Paulo, on Thursday morning.

By the looks of it, the thieves used dart guns to sedate the animal and then took him away in the back of a truck. Police officials say the neighbors reported that four people – three men and a woman – arrived at the shelter in a small truck carrying a cage before staff announced the lion's disappearance, but they mistook the suspects for environmentalists dropping off an abandoned animal.

Oswaldo Garcia, who owns the animal shelter and had been caring for Rawell since 2009, says the animal is very docile, but this doesn't mean it is less dangerous, so he assumes the theft was carried on by people familiarized with wild animals.

“The main entrance and the cage door were smashed open. Whoever took Rawell knew what they were doing. Stealing a lion, especially one his size, is not easy,” Garcia said.

Police believe Rawell was stolen to order. They are now working to locate and identify the thieves.