Officials at a nature park in Marion County, Fla., are asking for the public's help in locating a rare African monkey that escaped this weekend, according to Local 6 News.

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Louis Bolden Reports

The 3-foot-tall Patas monkey somehow escaped from his cage at the Marion Nature Park in Ocala, Fla., Local 6 News reported.

Park officials won't say how the monkey got loose but said it was human error, according to the report.

"This is a valuable monkey from not just the standpoint of financially, obviously, but for the preservation of the species," animal specialist Dr. Mark Wilson. "It's one of the primary species eaten and collected for bush meat in Africa." "So, they are becoming very uncommon. There's only about 12 zoos in the U.S. that keep them."

Officials hope the monkey is still in the vicinity.

The monkey is brown and white with dark highlights around its eyes and what's described as a "mustache."

If you see it, you are asked to call (352) 402-3802.

Watch Local 6 News for the latest on this story.