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Subscribe to RSSAfter four years of evading wildlife officials, Florida's "Mystery Monkey" was captured after biting a woman. WFLA's Peter Bernard reports.
After years on the run, the celebrity simian dubbed the “Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay” has been captured.
The monkey, which has eluded trappers for several years as it roamed a neighborhood in south St. Petersburg, was caught Wednesday after a veterinarian shot it with a tranquilizer dart, Baryl Martin, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told Tampa Bay Online.
Authorities intensified efforts to capture the monkey after it bit a 60-year-old woman on the back earlier this month. The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she was sitting on her porch when the creature jumped on her and started scratching and gnawing on her skin.
Archive video: After being on the loose for months, a rhesus macaque monkey continues to drive animal control officials bananas in the Tampa Bay area. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
Woman fends off attack from 'Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay'
Weeks before its capture, the monkey had grown more aggressive, thanks to residents who began feeding the monkey and treating it as more of a pet, officials said. The monkey reportedly lunged at residents and showed his teeth, TBO.com said.
Martin said they staked out an area where the monkey had been spotted several times, near Country Club Way South and Fairway Avenue South in St. Petersburg's Lakewood Estates, it said.
Trappers spotted the monkey on Wednesday on a low-hanging branch, about 2 to 3 feet off the ground, Martin told reporters.
Archive video: Jan. 15, 2009: A rhesus monkey is outrunning even a veteran trapper in Clearwater, Fla. NBC's Mark Potter reports.
A veterinarian at the scene shot the monkey with a tranquilizer dart. The monkey ran into the woods at a slow pace, so slow that trappers were able to snatch it by hand, TBO.com reported.
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The monkey was taken to a veterinarian's office, where it will be observed for a short time before it is placed in a permanent facility.
The monkey, which has gained notoriety in recent years after numerous sightings throughout the area, is a 40-pound wild rhesus macaque. Officials believe the monkey may have been cast out of a colony in Silver Springs near Ocala, Fla.
The monkey had become something of a celebrity, according to Tampa media. A Facebook page on behalf of the monkey was featured on Comedy Central’s "Colbert Report" and in a National Geographic special.
NBC News's Sevil Omer contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
There are wild monkeys in Ocala? Where did they come from and how long have they been there?
Yes, there are wild monkeys in Ocala, along the Silver Springs River. They allowed me to film them one day, from my kayak. I have a good zoom lense. You don't want to get too close. In the description section of my youtube vid there is a link that tells the story of how the monkeys came to be on the Silver Springs River.
just do a search on youtube for rraudiogal. You'll see a list of my vids. The Silver Springs Monkey vid is titled "No Pants George & The Silver Springs Monkeys"
This site didn't appear to allow my link.
you can leave a space in it & tell them to remove the space. It will get thru.
You haven't been a member long enough.
The monkey is a "guest worker" and is now on food stamps, living in public housing, and voting Democratic in the next election.
More like monkeying around with the facts and swinging from branch to branch on the issues, sort of like Romney.
Check his Papers and make sure he is in the country legally. If not then put him in a Deportation cell until we can find a country that will accept him. It's about time we started dealing with these Violent Criminals from abroad.
there will be a review to insure the monkey's rights were not infringed. It will cost a few thousand tax dollars.
And it took how many years before someone could shoot it with a tranquilizer ?
More news related to "monkey business."
Why is there a colony of non-native monkey's in Florida in the first place?
As usual NBC leaves out information.
Several times in the past years this monkey was hit with tranquilizer darts but he pulled them out and still got away. He was one feisty monkey and liked his freedom. I hope that he will be able to adjust to wherever he is going and can get along with other monkeys.
Nobody is allowed to be free in this country. We are all required to be tagged and caged.
In quest of the perfect banana and see what happens. You are incarcerated by the man! I say free this monkey and form a cause Free Monkeys in Tampa. All the kids will be in line. Register him to vote if he doea not get convicted of a felony. Is the monkey charged with a felony? Was he read his rights? I doubt it. We need a volunteer for the defense team.
Heck it don't matter if he is a felon register him anyway!
As to wild animals there are many that smuggle them into the country every year, owners let them loose once they get too big or expensive and they populate. Some are also escaped pets or from Hurricanes blowing through reserach facillities, snakes are among these so be wary if you venture out.
Why is there a colony of non-native monkey's in Florida in the first place? They've been retiring there for years, lol.
It's too bad for the monkee that he got caught. He'd do far better fending for himself, than he'll get with the state of Florida feeding him! Good Luck little guy!!
Poor monkey. The monkey will be placed in a facility that will torture and used on experiments.
A rheus monkey is one of the primates that are closely linked to human genetics. So, this poor monkey
will be tortured to death and cut open on experiments. Where is PETA when we need them.