Authorities in St. Louis, Mo., are on the hunt for an unknown number of vervet monkeys spotted wandering loose in the northern part of the city.
The St. Louis Department of Health said the first reports of monkeys on the loose came in Thursday, with sightings taking place near O’Fallon Park.
“Original reports suggested there were four animals, but we cannot confirm an actual number at this time, only that there is more than one,” Justen Hauser, the department’s bureau chief of environmental health, said in a statement reviewed by The New York Times.
The primates, identified by a St. Louis Zoo expert as vervet monkeys, managed to evade animal control officers over the weekend, although further sightings were reported.
“We are working to get an idea of where they may be hiding or seeking food,” Hauser said. “Once captured, the monkeys will be transported to a facility certified to care for exotic animals.”
Hauser told Fox 2 St. Louis vervet monkeys are “intelligent but unpredictable.”
The origin of the loose animals remains a mystery. Hauser said monkeys and other primates are not legal to be kept as pets in St. Louis.
Vervet monkeys are native to East Africa and adults typically weigh 6-11 pounds.
