Two Loose Monkeys Were On A 'Jumanji-Style' Run In Georgia & The Law Caught Up To Them
You've heard of manhunts, but this was a monkey hunt.
Two monkeys stand on a concrete ledge, one sitting, the second upside down.
Many Georgia residents were shocked (and amused) last month when the Effingham County Sheriff's Office received a phone call that two missing monkeys were on the loose.
A post on their Facebook page reveals, "It sounded like a scene from Jumanji but it was not. There are in fact, two Patas monkeys on the loose in North Effingham."
On social media, some users came up with creative ideas to help solve the problem of the missing monkeys.
One woman in the comments of the original post asked, "Do they have names? If I should see them it may be helpful to call them by their name."
The Department of Natural Resources were called to assist in trapping the monkeys, and finally, after over a week, their efforts were successful.
On May 31, the Sheriff's office announced on their official Facebook page, "The search is over, the missing monkeys are home. More information will be available once the DNR has completed their investigation."*
This incident has left many locals questioning if it is even legal to own monkeys in the state. The Sheriff's office said the monkeys are legally owned by residents of Effingham, a county right outside of Savannah, Georgia.
While it is illegal to own these exotic animals as pets, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources can issue a license that would permit the owner to possess the primate under certain conditions.
Narcity reached out to the Effingham County Sheriff's Office but did not get a response before the time of publishing. We will update this story if we hear back.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
*This article has been updated since it was originally published on May 25, 2022.