The pet shop owner concluded the terms of the purchase, and after having a large salt water pool installed on the premises of his shop, took delivery of his new porpoises.
They were an immediate hit with customers and his business boomed; however, he found that all his new profits were going to parrots, parakeets, macaws, etc. simply to keep the porpoises happy. Having exhausted his normal supply channels he turned to theft, and began burglarizing homes, zoos and other petshops in search of talking birds to feed his porpoises until these sources too, began to dry up.
At his wit's end, he saw an advertisement for a circus coming to town...noting "Clowns, Wild Animals, and the World's Largest Minah Bird Collection".
Inspired by the prospective score, he bought a ticket to the circus, only to find that the minah cage was secured in the middle of the lion cage. He secretly remained on the premises after closing hours, when to his delight, he saw the lion tamer tranquilize the lions before going to bed.
The petshop owner then tiptoed into the lion cage, and placed all the minah birds into a large sack and snuck back out of the tent.
Police were fortunate enough to find a fingerprint, and the man was later arrested...
...and charged with transporting minahs across sedated lions for immortal porpoises.