VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – People have been seeing monkeys all over the west side of Volusia County, creating some serious monkey business for residents.
Experts put the warning out, though: steer clear if you see one.
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An Orange City tour guide caught one on camera earlier in the week while on the St. Johns River. Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, one was caught on camera climbing through Deltona residents’ backyards.
“I had seen him coming along the fence and I thought it was a cat. I have three cats and so I looked at his body and was like, ‘Wow that’s really big.' I mean we’re talking about four feet probably long,” said Evelyn Coira Arquette.
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Arquette was able to grab a few pictures before running inside.
“He just turned his face and looked at me and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know if he was going to come and jump my way. I started backing up and I just ran for it,” she said.
Timbercrest Elementary School’s principal in Deltona also had to put out a text Wednesday warning parents after one was seen running through the school drop-off loop.
It’s not clear if it’s all the same monkey or multiple but News 6 went to the experts to find out why they’re showing up.
“As long as he’s able to get food, which shouldn’t be too hard for a monkey roaming in our creeks and forests, they do quite well,” said Kim Valenta, an anthropologist with the University of Florida.
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Valenta said they are likely a rhesus macaque breed of monkey and probably came down from the Silver Springs area in Ocala.
“The males when they get kicked out of the group upon hitting puberty just sort of start to widely roam around looking for another group of unrelated animals to join,” she said.
The monkeys also tend to carry the Herpes B virus, which can lead to severe brain damage or death for humans.
“Keep your distance and inform the appropriate authorities and certainly if there’s any kind of contact, just as a precaution because there is no cure and there’s no vaccine to talk to your physician,” said Valenta.
It’s illegal to feed monkeys in Florida, too.
The FWC wants anyone who spots one to report them online at IveGot1.org or by calling 888-Ive-Got1.
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