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Zoo On Lockdown Following Monkey Escape

Is it a cheeky escapee monkey or is it someone wearing one of our animal tails you ask?

Well, actually it was a very naughty monkey that was spotted at Marwell Zoo last week, when two macaques escaped from their cage causing the entire zoo and over 1,000 visitors to be put on lockdown while keepers hunted for the animals.

One of the monkeys made it as far as the food shop, where it went on a binge according to onlookers.

People at the zoo, including many families, were ushered indoors into toilets and the gift shop, while the hunt took place.

Though they managed to find the two escaped monkeys in under 10 minutes, and the animals were returned to their cages very quickly, that didn’t stop visitors from uploading films of the fiasco to social media. No one was harmed, including the monkeys, in the episode.

A spokesperson told the BBC: “"The two macaques have rejoined the rest of the family and all five will remain in the indoor part of their enclosure until a full investigation has been carried out. 

"Our vet team has carried out checks and we are happy to report that the animals came to no harm. The zoo remains open as usual."

The main risk to the public would have been a monkey bite, which can lead to the transmission of hepatitis b which the monkeys can carry. While zoo keepers will often be vaccinated to minimise this risk, members of the public are unlikely to have received the jab.


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