GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A hunt was under way for a monkey that is on the loose in Gainesville.
The primate was caught on camera Thursday swinging through the trees in east Gainesville.
"See it moving. Tell me that ain't no monkey," said one person.
"I was excited to see it because I've never seen a monkey in the hood, so we are going to call it the hood monkey," said Al Wells.
Wells is just one of dozens of people transfixed by the hunt for what is believed to be a patas monkey. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation crews spent Thursday trying to trap the monkey.
"I've seen the monkey in the fence behind Gardenia. Then the police were chasing him and they got him up in a tree. Don't know if they caught him or not," said Wells.
FWC is still trying to figure out where the monkey came from. Wildlife officials said nearby Santa Fe Zoo has no missing monkeys.
"Could be an escapee," said Karen Parker with FWC. "We did have a patas monkey running around the Williston area last year. I've got to get with an investigator to see if anyone reported a missing monkey."
FWC is asking the public to not to approach the monkey. Officials fear the primate could be carrying rabies. Knowing that there is a monkey has been the answer for some locals who are trying to figure out why all their fruit is disappearing.
"We have an orange tree in the backyard and there are a lot of fruits we couldn't get down and I'm missing a lot of food," said one neighbor.