A Seattle zoo ended the lockdown of its entire premises Thursday after a "wild" monkey that had escaped was shot with a tranquilizer dart and returned to his cage.
An 11-pound DeBrazza's monkey, a tree-dwelling native of the wetlands of central Africa, successfully negotiated the moat and wall of his outdoor enclosure at the Woodland Park Zoo at around 2 p.m. EST.
Zoo officials evacuated the grounds as a safety measure after the monkey's escape, though the pint-sized primate posed no danger to humans. Zoo spokesman David Schaefer said it was a necessary precaution "because it's a wild animal," the Seattle Times reported.
The monkey was spotted walking along a main path at the southern part of the zoo not long after its escape, Q13 FOX reported. Woodland Park Zoo officials said it was was the monkey's second day in their outdoor Monkey Island exhibit.
DeBrazza's Guenon monkeys grow to about 15 pounds and five feet in length including their long tails. Their colorful faces are marked by a white mustache and beard and a crescent-shaped forehead. The monkeys feed primarily on fruits and seeds in the wild, though the Woodland Park Zoo also feeds them monkey biscuits in captivity.
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