Puerto Rican police on Friday captured a rhesus monkey that was being chased by a crowd at a public housing complex near the U.S. territory's north coast.
The monkey was found injured and exhausted in the laundry room of an apartment in the Beautiful View complex in the coastal city of Arecibo, said police officer Joel Vidot Soto, who captured the monkey.
“I rescue dogs and cats in general,” he told The Associated Press, adding that this was his first time capturing a monkey.
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Vidot, who works for Arecibo's Animal Welfare and Conservation Police Department, said his patrol car is equipped with equipment to trap all kinds of animals, but he didn't need to do that Friday.
“The monkey was being chased by about 25 people with cameras and video cameras,” he said, adding that the monkey was excited but tired by the time they arrived.
Police released a photo of Bidot holding the monkey with a catchpole around its neck for safety and holding the right hand of a police officer as he came out of the apartment.
What you see here are two rhesus macaques. Although they are native to Asia, they have been found throughout Puerto Rico and are believed to have escaped from research projects and formed breeding populations. (Md Rafayat Haque Khan/Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Vidot said the monkey had an open wound on its right hind leg that was still bleeding.
“That's what I'm a little concerned about,” he said, adding that he couldn't tell the monkeys apart from other animals he had previously rescued. “Still, it is a life that must be protected and a life that must be cherished.”
Vidot said he took the injured monkey to an exotic animal holding center run by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources.
Rhesus macaques are native to South, Central, and Southeast Asia, but have been found throughout Puerto Rico and are believed to be descendants of escapees from research projects. It is rarely seen in urban areas.
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One monkey in particular attracted a lot of attention when it was discovered in a eucalyptus tree along the downtown area of the capital San Juan in November 2021. The monkey disappeared before authorities could catch it.
Hundreds of rhesus macaques also roam free on Cayo Santiago, a small island off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. There is a field research base on this island.
Macaques are omnivorous animals that can live 20 to 40 years in captivity and share more than 90% of their DNA sequences with humans.
