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2 Of 15 Runaway Monkeys Caught, Polk Preserve Says

Photo from Javier Avellán

The reddish brown patas monkeys, such as this one at New Orleans Audubon Zoo, are not considered dangerous and carry no diseases.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 2, 2008

Updated: 05/02/2008 10:12 am

TAMPA - Two of the escaped patas monkeys that escaped from a wildlife preserve in April have been captured.

A female and her young offspring meandered away from the group and into a trap Thursday, said Joseph Gallina, who works with a public relations firm hired by Safari Wild, the preserve from which the monkeys escaped.

The whereabouts of the nabbed simian was unknown, but Gallina said the mother and baby likely were taken to a veterinarian for observation.

While searchers doggedly work to catch the rest of the escaped troop, the flow of information about the monkey hunt has gone professional with the hiring of the Tampa public relations firm of Fry/Hammond/Barr.

The search for the remaining 10 adult and three newborn patas monkeys -- living off the land near the Green Swamp in northern Polk County -- has generated a lot of media and public interest, Gallina said.

Part of the new effort is the establishment of a monkey sighting hot line, which was publicized Thursday night.

"Already we've gotten some crank calls," he said.

Anyone with tips on the whereabouts of the escapees is asked to call (813) 470-9307.

Gallina, senior account executive with the firm, said this morning that the company was hired because of "all the misinformation" out there.

Some sources reported that the patas monkeys were pets of Lex Salisbury, who is co-owner of Safari Wild. They were not pets, Gallina said. Some media outlets also reported that a monkey expert was being flown in from Africa to help with the search, and that was inaccurate as well, Gallina said.

The monkeys are not dangerous, and searchers have a good idea where they are. To keep them in one area, trackers are putting out food. Once the monkeys get used to eating in one spot, a trap will be set.

The troop is somewhat scattered, but all are within three miles of the preserve, on the lam along the southern edge of the 860-square-mile Green Swamp. One male patas has split from the group and headed into the swamp. The rest are on sod and cattle ranches that border it.

The troop was captured in Puerto Rico, and it was scheduled to be euthanized when an animal rescue group stepped in and placed it at Safari Wild preserve on April 17.

They were on an acre-size island surrounded by a moat 60 feet wide and about 8 feet deep. Two days after arriving, the primates surprised keepers by swimming the moat and scaling a large fence.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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