AUSTIN: Animal care officers successfully captured a spider monkey that had escaped from the possession of their owners in Texas, according to US media reports.
The incident occurred in the Poteet and Jourdanton area where Animal care officers were alerted by the residents that a spider monkey was running loose through the neighbourhood.
The officers swiftly rushed to the scene, spotting the small primate running across rooftops, and jumping over the fences.
They captured the monkey safely, only to find that the animal was an illegal pet.
The officers returned the monkey to the owners, ordering them to take it back from the city limits as it is illegal to keep exotic animals as pets in the area.
The owners were issued five criminal citations including possession of a prohibited animal, bringing another monkey to reclaim the first one, animal roaming, lack of a rabies vaccination, and lack of a microchip.
“The owners were not fined at present and a municipal court will determine the penalties later”, officials said.
Earlier, in a similar incident in Karachi, four monkeys were on the loose in the dense area of Al-bela Chowk in Karachi’s Garden. Locals of the area had noticed around four monkeys in the vicinity and contacted the rescue team.
Read More: Watch: Four monkeys on the loose in Karachi
Upon being notified, members of the police and wildlife department arrived at the scene and successfully captured all the animals.
Authorities of police stated that they were investigating how these monkeys ended up there.
The administration of Karachi Zoo had also denied that the monkeys that appeared in the area belonged to the zoo.
