In one county in central Florida, there has been some monkeying about. People have captured the rare events on camera and called the police.
Groveland reported primate sightings last week, and days after, neighbors in Clermont confirmed they had also seen the wild animals.
“I was picking my daughter up from school when I saw what I thought was a cat. Maxel Miranda: “When I got closer, it was a monkey.” The footage shows the monkey on all fours walking behind South Lake High School.
A resident captured a video of a monkey on the roof of a house on April 30, 2009.
Aime Krug stated, “This monkey crossed the road and I had to do a double-take because I thought that it wasn’t a monkey.” She claims to have seen the monkey as she drove home from work.
Clermont Police confirmed to a TV station that a monkey sighting was reported on Sunday and another on Tuesday.
Linda Wasko, a primate expert from Primate Paradise, in Osteen (Florida), identified the Groveland macaque as a Rhesus Macaque. She suggested that the monkeys might have come from the Wekiva area and possibly originated from a group who came from Silver Springs during the 1930s.
The macaques eat lizards as well as birds, frogs, and froglets. Wasko says that macaques tend to avoid human contact and usually stick with their troop.
Wasko advises anyone who sees a Macaque in Florida to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“We cannot believe it!” We’ve seen squirrels, raccoons, and other animals in our attic, but never a monkey. That’s crazy!” said Simon Weafer, a homeowner. “We’ll be more cautious in the future when we walk around our yard.”
