Re-captured capuchin monkey not from zoo

An escaped capuchin monkey is now in safe-keeping at the Emperor Valley Zoo in Port-of-Spain. Zoo officials suspect it is an escaped pet from a nearby household. President of the Zoological Society Gupte Lutchmedial said Maraval residents reported that a monkey had been spotted in Ellerslie Park on Thursday evening.

The zoo sent a team to try to capture the animal but it was unsuccessful, he said. Then yesterday morning a monkey was seen in an office building in Maraval, but escaped before zoo staff could capture it. Later in the day they received reports of a sighting near King George V Park, and found the monkey there.

“We are not sure if it is the same animal that was spotted in Ellerslie Park, but we will remain alert,” Lutchmedial said. He said the monkey had been quarantined and appeared to be someone’s pet, as it was not as aggressive as could be expected from one that was living in the wild.

Lutchmedial dismissed rumours that it had escaped from the zoo, saying all the zoo’s monkeys were present and accounted for. “All ours are accounted for, and the six capuchins that were brought to us from Chaguanas are in an exhibit cage, with newspaper clippings nearby for the public to view,” he said.

Last week a Chaguanas pet-shop owner was charged with harbouring protected animals that included the six capuchins and four morocoys. The animals were sent to the zoo. Lutchmedial said the zoo had put the six capuchins together in one cage “to see if they can develop a bond,”