Monkeys have been spotted roaming unusual places in Central Florida recently, and police are warning residents to stay away.
The City of Orange Police Department he said on social media that he had received “multiple reports of monkey sightings” in the city, which is located in Volusia County. People who see monkeys should not feed or approach them, the department said, but should contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A viral video of a river near Orange City, taken by a river tour operator, shows a monkey hanging from a wooded bank.
“I looked up at a tree and said, ‘What is that!?'” Colin Innes of St. John’s River Eco Tours, he told CBS affiliate WKMG. “I got a little closer and realized I had a monkey probably about 30 feet away from me. And believe me, that’s not something you see around here on a regular basis, so I was surprised.”
Meanwhile, the principal of a Volusia County elementary school had to warn parents about a monkey after seeing one running around the school’s drop-off area Wednesday. according to WKMG.
A local woman told WKMG she saw a monkey climbing her fence. At first, he thought the animal was a cat, but then he realized how big it was.
“I have three cats and I looked at their bodies and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s really big,'” said Evelyn Coira Arquette. “I mean, we’re talking about four feet long probably.”
WKMG said officials have not confirmed if residents are seeing multiple monkeys or if they are seeing the same primate in multiple locations.
Police have told residents not to feed the monkeys, which is prohibited by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rule. approved in 2017. Monkeys are more likely to return to an area and can become aggressive if fed by people, WKMG reported.
Residents should also be careful to dispose of uneaten food and garbage in closed garbage containers, so that monkeys cannot access them. Any sightings should be reported, and if a monkey is seen in the area, children should be kept close and pets should be leashed. If you have been bitten or scratched by a wild monkey, seek medical attention immediately.
Officials have not commented on what species of monkey is being discovered.
Orange City is about a 60-mile drive from Silver Spring State Park, where a band of rhesus macaque monkeys have lived since the 1930s, when some were released by a local tour boat operator. There are now about 200 monkeys in this group, and sometimes they come out of the park and are seen by Florida residents, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Rhesus macaque monkeys can carry diseases, including herpes B.
last month, 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolinaprompting warnings to nearby residents to secure their doors and windows. Four of the monkeys are as reported still at large