Urban jungleUrban jungle

Monkey nabbed after daring escape from Rishon zoo

Gate to enclosure was not securely closed, leading to police chase and drama on city streets

A spider monkey made a brief escape from a city zoo in central Israel on Tuesday before being tranquilized and captured.

The monkey was returned to the Hai-Kef zoo in Rishon Lezion, a southern suburb of Tel Aviv, after a short time on the outside.

The monkey was one of five that escaped from their enclosure after the gate was not closed properly. The other four remained within the confines of the zoo and were returned to their cage.

However, one daring monkey jumped the fence and ran off down the street. Pictures showed the monkey climbing a fence in the city, Israel’s fourth-largest.

After a short search, police found the animal in a street adjacent to the zoo. A city veterinarian was called in and shot the runaway with a tranquilizer dart.

Hai-Kef is a small zoo within a city park, and is home to several endangered species.

This is one of several animal escapes in the past few months caught on video. In March a rhino escaped from Ramat Gan Safari Park.

Last December an ostrich escaped from a private home in Jerusalem and made a run down a busy street.

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