Pet monkey escapes, breaks into nearby homes and wreaks havoc, Peru officials say
A pet monkey escaped from a home in southern Peru, broke into nearby residences, and wreaked havoc until rescuers arrived, officials said.
Residents of a housing complex in Ica called nature officials about a monkey entering their homes and causing damage, Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service said in a March 10 news release. They also reported seeing the monkey climbing trees and power lines.
A joint team of rescuers from the department and the nearby Ica Municipal Zoo responded and found the monkey wandering along roofs.
A photo shows the process of coaxing the monkey, identified as a male black-capped capuchin, out of a tree.
Rescuers eventually managed to capture the capuchin and noticed marks along its waist, indicating it had been tied up with a rope or chain, officials said. The monkey, which is not naturally found in the Ica area, was identified as likely being an escaped pet.
The capuchin is being held in quarantine at the local zoo, the department said. Officials don’t plan to release the monkey in the wild because they believe it is too domesticated to survive.
Officials said that most primates rescued from illegal trade and/or possession are unable to be released into the wild because they are unlikely to survive. Under Peruvian law, any unauthorized trade, hunting, possession or transportation of wild animals is considered illegal and punishable with a fine.
Ica is a city near the coast in southern Peru and a roughly 190-mile drive southeast of Lima, the capital city.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service.
