Monkeys of unknown origin running loose in St. Louis, officials say

A group of monkeys of unknown origin is roaming around St. Louis, according to officials.

“The Department of Health has confirmed that multiple monkeys are on the loose around the vicinity of O’FallonPark in North City,” Justen Hauser, the city bureau chief of environmental health, wrote in a Saturday update. “Original reports suggested there were four animals, but we cannot confirm an actual number at this time, only that there is more than one.”

The monkeys were spotted near O’Fallon Park in northern St. Louis.

“We are working to get an idea of where they may be hiding or seeking food,” Hauser added. “We are engaging with partner agencies that are properly trained and equipped to safely capture these animals.”

Once captured, the monkeys will be taken to a facility certified to care for exotic animals.

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At this time, officials do not know where the animals came from, though the St. Louis Zoo has identified them as vervet monkeys, native to sub-Saharan Africa and known to travel in groups called troops. They are sometimes called green monkeys due to their unique coloring.

The Independent has contacted city officials for comment.

City officials with the Animal Care and Control department began looking for the monkeys near the park on Thursday. Further patrols on Friday yielded no results.

Local residents are advised to avoid the creatures if encountered.

"I think of danger because that's a wild animal. We have dogs, cats, and mice around here in this area, and now we have to worry about monkeys! I'm scared because I now have to keep my dog inside at certain times because I don't want him to get attacked," area resident Marva Young told KSDK.

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This is the first time the city has dealt with a group of monkeys “at large,” officials said Friday.

A troop of vervet monkeys that escaped from a breeding facility in the 1940s now roams the Dania Beach area of South Florida.

The animals were brought to the state from Africa for use in biomedical research.

They are not native to Florida, or the United States as a whole, but appear to have maintained a longstanding presence since escaping.

A 2020 census found that 40 monkeys descended from that original group remained in the area, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

“Historically, they've been fed by people, so they're really comfortable being around people, and they've learned to associate urban areas with people because they know people equal food,” Missy Williams, who heads the nonprofit Dania Beach Vervet Project, told NBC Miami in 2021.

“However, because they do come out into the urban spots, they can get electrocuted,” she added. “They've been hit by cars and then sadly, sometimes people even try to take them for the pet trade.”