Monkey business at Paignton Zoo as animal escapes

Monkey business put Paignton Zoo and hundreds of visitors on the alert today.

A monkey managed to escape from an enclosure with guests having to be evacuated and made to stay in the vicinity of the restaurant as staff sought to recapture it.

One visitoir said: "We had just come out of the tropical house and were making our way down to the lake area when we were stopped by two workers. We had to go to the restaurant which was packed."

The zoo said it is investigating the incident.

 
A spokesperson said: "Earlier today, staff at Paignton Zoo had to attend to an incident involving an escaped monkey. As a precautionary measure, zoo visitors were evacuated from the area in accordance with our well-rehearsed escaped animal procedure and the animal was re-captured without incident shortly after the alert was raised.

“We are currently investigating how this incident occurred and would like to thank everyone who was at the zoo this morning for their patience and co-operation.”