A monkey that escaped from a wildlife park in the Highlands has been moved to another zoo after failing to settle back into his home.
Honshu, a Japanese Macaque, went on the run for five days last month. He was eventually captured after he appeared in Stephanie Bunyan’s garden on the hunt for some food. Rangers who were alerted by the locals then used a tranquiliser dart to catch him.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which runs the wildlife park, said Honshu, nicknamed Kingussie Kong, has now been moved to its Edinburgh Zoo to give him “a fresh start”.
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(Image: BH Wildlife Consultancy)
Darren McGarry, head of living collections at RZSS, told the BBC: “Primate group dynamics can be very complex, especially in a situation like this where an individual is separated from the troop for an extended period of time.
“Honshu is also of the age when macaques disperse or move away, so it would have been very difficult to reintroduce him to his wider family.”
Honshu is about the size of a medium-sized dog.
(Image: PA)
The cheeky primate found a way out from his enclosure on Sunday, January 28, after being spooked by a fight with a rival primate.
Residents in Kincraig, near Aviemore, raised the alarm after the animal was spotted wandering around gardens and shaking bird feeders for food. A huge search operation was launched by the RZSS but Honshu evaded capture for five days.
People in the area were urged to bring obvious potential food sources like bird feeders or food waste inside to encourage the monkey to make its way back to the park.
They were also advised not to approach the animal, although it was presumed not to be dangerous to humans or pets.
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