Careless monkeys are back behind bars after two weeks of freedom

Published on Monday 20 July 2009 22:03

THEY were on the run for 14 days, swinging through treetops and venturing dangerously close to the lions' enclosure.

A pair of cheeky monkeys spent a fortnight outwitting frustrated keepers at Edinburgh Zoo, who tried in vain to tempt them down with bananas or catch them with nets.

However, the barbary macaques have finally slipped, wandering into the indoor baboon pen – from which there is only one escape route – on Friday night.

Triumphantly, the keepers slammed shut the door and took them to the Monkey House, where they will be held until zoo authorities are satisfied the enclosure at Barbary Rock is made fully monkey-proof.

A zoo spokeswoman said yesterday: "Outside, they were able to stay in the trees out of keepers' reach.

"But as soon as they wandered into the indoor baboon enclosure, the keepers were able to shut the door and trap them there before cornering them. It was quite a straightforward exercise after that.

"We've had to be patient, but it brings to an end quite an exciting two weeks for the monkeys."

Parts of the zoo which had been roped off to visitors while the monkeys roamed freely have now been reopened.

Originally, a group of five barbary macaques had climbed a wall and scrambled under an electric fence surrounding their new enclosure on 3 July. Three of them were coaxed back into captivity a week ago with bananas, seeds and nuts.

The zoo has insisted that the monkeys did not leave the perimeter of the zoo's 82 acres but stayed close to their enclosure, with keepers on their tails at all times.

Although visitors were reassured the monkeys never posed any threat to humans, the areas around them remained closed off to the public.

A blog on the zoo's website described yesterday how the monkeys had been "trying their keepers' patience". Staff were reluctant to tranquillise them unless it was their last resort.

The macaques broke free because they were younger and more agile than monkeys previously held in the cage.

Lorna Hughes, head zookeeper, has accepted there was a "chink in the armour" of the security. She was not available to comment yesterday.

&#149 In February last year, a monkey was shot dead after escaping from a rabies quarantine cage.