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Year In Review: Monkey business in Innisfil

Primate on the loose received national attention
mango 1
Mango scampers across a lawn to avoid capture on July 3, 2016. Sue Sgambati/BarrieToday

It was the tweet by South Simcoe Police media officer Const. Rich Williamson that started it all.

Williamson was alerting the public to the fact that a primate was on the loose in Alcona. 

"Officers going bananas with a monkey on the loose," he wrote on the South Simcoe Police twitter account on a sleepy Sunday morning. "If this is your Curious George, give us a call."

A monkey named Mango took police on a cat and mouse chase through the Innisfil neighbourhood for several hours on July 3 after the tiny primate escaped from his home the night before.

"I awoke to a monkey in my backyard!" said one incredulous man.

Others in the area were alerted by the presence of South Simcoe Police who were called to the scene after someone spotted the monkey early that morning. 

"We came out and there were police here. They said 'oh there's a monkey loose. I said you've gotta be kidding. How big is it?'" laughed Gina, who didn't want to give her last name. "It was on our fence in our backyard. Just a little tiny skinny guy - well girl." 

In a later news release titled Mischievous Monkey on the Loose (AKA Mango), South Simcoe Police Sgt. James Buchanan said officers had set up a perimeter to keep an eye on the monkey, feeding it the "odd banana to keep it close." 

Buchanan said in the release that Sanctuary staffers were successful in luring the monkey into a cage with food.

"The owner is in possession of Ms. Mango and Innisfil By-Law department will be investigating further this week," the release said.

The owners were not charged and Mango, a capuchin monkey, was adopted by the Elmvale Jungle Zoo.

 


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Sue Sgambati

About the Author: Sue Sgambati

Sue has had a 30-year career in journalism working for print, radio and TV. She is a proud member of the Barrie community.
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