Florida wildlife officers searching for monkey on the loose
Officials are warning residents against approaching the wild animal.
— -- A monkey on the loose in Florida has surfaced in photographs and caught the attention of state wildlife officials.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers, the snapshots and video taken over the weekend appear to be that of a rhesus macaque.
Primate researchers say a large and feral colony of these monkeys live in the Silver Springs area, but Sunday’s sighting happened 50 miles south in Apopka.
“It was a little too big to be a raccoon, a little too brown, and as we got a little closer it kind of turned and looked at us and it was a monkey,” Apopka resident Keri Locke told ABC Orlando affiliate WFTV-TV.
Elena Lamar, deputy director of animal operations at Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, warns against getting too close to these monkeys.
“They’re not really keen on eye contact,” Lamar added.