“We have transitioned from responding to the reports of monkeys at large to a more enforcement of city ordinance.”
St. Louis officials announced Tuesday they are shifting strategy in their search for an unknown number of loose St. Louis monkeys after a week of investigation produced no captured primates.
“There are people that may have monkeys,” said Justen Hauser, head of the city health department’s environmental health bureau, explaining the pivot to enforcement.
The saga began Thursday when animal control received reports of at least one monkey near O’Fallon Park. Initial reports suggested four monkeys, but that number has not been verified. Authorities confirmed they are unsure how many of the animals could be running wild.
Verification Challenges
The St. Louis Zoo identified the animal from resident photographs as a vervet monkey, a species native to eastern and southern Africa weighing between 9 and 12 pounds.
Officials asked the community to report sightings. The community responded with doctored images showing monkeys in Cardinals jerseys and Blues face paint. St. Louis County’s official account posted images of the monkeys canoeing through county parks.
The memes have complicated matters. “We did receive a tremendous amount of information from the community, but it was a challenge verifying the authenticity of some of that information,” Hauser said at a news conference.
Amnesty Offered
St. Louis city code prohibits residents from owning “all non-human primates.” Officials said all charges and fees will be waived for anyone who relinquishes the monkeys to authorities.
“We wanted to try and eliminate that fear of punishment,” Hauser said.
As of Tuesday, no monkeys have been captured, no owners have come forward, and the total number of fugitive primates remains unknown.
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