Two ‘dangerous monkeys’ on the loose after entire troop escaped from zoo
Two monkeys are still roaming free after a whole troop managed to get out of their enclosure at a zoo.
Nine crested macaques, which have a strong bite and can weigh up to 10kg, escaped from a zoo in the city of Děčín in Czechia on Monday.
And now three days later, seven have been recaptured but there’s still a cheeky pair of them on the loose.
Děčín Zoo was forced to shut following the incident but decided to reopen yesterday despite the fact six of the monkeys were still missing.
At least three of the seven monkeys that have now been caught were lured back home using cages filled with food.
They had been set up near the zoo in the hope they might attempt to return.
The zoo blamed an ‘unwelcome visitor’ for damaging an electric fence that led to the monkeys escaping and said some ‘have been spotted in the surrounding area’.
A statement issued on the zoo’s website two days ago said: ‘The entire troop of crested macaques escaped due to the fault of an uninvited visitor who damaged the electric fence at one of the enclosures yesterday evening.
‘Some monkeys remained in the zoo area, but others are already moving around it.’
People have been warned to not go near the macaques if they see them outside of the zoo.
The zoo added: ‘In case you spot monkeys, do not under any circumstances try to catch them yourself and inform us immediately.’
A 42-year-old man later confirmed that he had deliberately damaged the electric fence after getting a shock while trying to touch one of the monkeys.
It is unclear if he realised breaking the device would allow them to escape.
He was caught later on as he tried to break into a nearby country pub and was arrested by police, who said he tested positive for cannabis.
His name has not been revealed, but he has been charged with vandalism following the incident.
Crested black macaques, also known as the Celebes crested macaque or by their Latin name macaca nigra, are mainly an arboreal Indonesian monkey.
The species is considered critically endangered.
They were famously at the centre of the so-called ‘monkey selfie copyright dispute’.
Between 2011 and 2018, a series of disputes took place about the copyright status of selfies taken by Celebes crested macaques using equipment belonging to the British nature photographer David Slater.
Last month, a family were terrified after they found a ‘ghost snake’ in their back garden.
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