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Officials Looking For Tips On Fugitive Monkey's Location

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON and SAMARA SODOS

Published: January 13, 2009

Updated: 01/14/2009 09:11 am

CLEARWATER - Wildlife authorities are asking for the public's help this morning in locating a rhesus macaque monkey that is on the loose.

"We have an officer looking," said Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Generally, the public has a lot more eyes than we do."

The primate was seen Tuesday leaping from a tree in the 300 block of Park Place Boulevard, and scampering through a parking lot and into some brush.

Anyone who spots the monkey is asked to call the commission at 1-888-404-3922. A commission officer and a trapper are at the ready in the area, he said.

Elizabeth Watts, Clearwater's public safety spokeswoman, said that, to the best of her knowledge, police officers are not actively searching for the animal.

Morse has said the commission does not know where the animal came from. Anyone who likes to keep a member of the species as a pet needs to get a permit, as monkeys are considered non-native wildlife and require special caging and care.

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

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