ST. LOUIS (KTVI) — Monkey sightings in an area near O’Fallon Park in north St. Louis led the city’s Department of Health to warn residents to avoid approaching the primates.
Instead, officials are asking the public to call Animal Care and Control at 314-657-1500 if the monkeys are spotted.
“We’re coordinating with partnering agencies that are better trained and better equipped to apprehend these primates,” said Justen Hauser, the City of St. Louis Department of Health’s environmental health bureau chief. “It’s not going to be something we do alone. We will be engaging with a partner agency if we do move to capture the monkeys.”
Sightings were originally reported from Redbud Avenue in the O’Fallon Park area. Hauser said one sighting came from an animal control officer. Social media posts suggested four monkeys were loose. Hauser could not confirm that number but said his department was searching for “multiple” monkeys.
“It’s crazy. That’s a lot to take in,” north St. Louis resident Domnique Kelly said.
He plans on following the health department’s advice.
“I wouldn’t even know what to do besides call animal control,” said Kelly.
“They have been identified by our partners at the St. Louis Zoo as vervet monkeys,” said Hauser. “They’ve been identified as intelligent but unpredictable.”
The search continued into Friday night.
“We’ll continue to patrol the area,” said Hauser. “We’re using information that is gathered by our animal control officers that are out in the community as well as reports from community members to try and narrow in on the location of the monkeys.”