USA (Parliament Politics Magazine) January 10, 2026 – Several monkeys were spotted loose near O’Fallon Park in St. Louis, leading city health officials to patrol and plan safe capture efforts.
North St. Louis residents reported sighting a couple monkeys.
“The Department of Health has confirmed that multiple monkeys are on the loose around the vicinity of O’Fallon Park in North City. Original reports suggested there were four animals, but we cannot confirm an actual number at this time, only that there is more than one,”
Justen Hauser, environmental health bureau chief with the St Louis department of health, said in a statement.
“We are working to get an idea of where they may be hiding or seeking food. We are engaging with partner agencies that are properly trained and equipped to safely capture these animals. Once captured, the monkeys will be transported to a facility certified to care for exotic animals.”
“This is the first time we’ve had a situation dealing with monkeys at large in the city of St. Louis,”
Hauser said to a local news station.
The origin of the monkeys is still unknown, but the St. Louis zoo has determined that they are vervet monkeys.
According to the group, vervets are frequently considered pests in human-populated regions because they invade fields and steal food, which results in a large annual massacre of the creatures.
They are also sold for profit in the US, according to a post on Earth.org that detailed the tale of a vervet named Gizmo who was sold after being “torn from his mother, likely at a few weeks old.” Raised as a pet in the United States, Gizmo was gradually placed in a cage as his aggression increased.
He would later get out of the enclosure and assault an adult. Gizmo’s owner, who was not identified in the story, contacted the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary after discovering that the animal shouldn’t be kept in a cage. The monkey was then sent to a sanctuary in south Texas.
“They are very intelligent and social, but may be unpredictable or aggressive under stress. If you spot them, please call 314-657-1500 so that we can try to triangulate their location,”
he said.
Could these monkeys have escaped from a zoo or private owner?
St. Louis Animal Care and Control has ruled out both the St. Louis Zoo and any registered private possessors as sources for the four fantastic vervet monkeys loose in north St. Louis neighborhoods near O’Fallon Park.
Zoo officers verified no breaches or missing creatures from their secure enclosures, while megacity records show no permitted fantastic primate power; fantastic creatures remain illegal within St. Louis megacity limits. Details concentrate on alleys and wooded areas without relating casing/ feed sources suggesting original constraint.
Authorities suspect illegal trafficking or unreported private keeping given primates’ healthy condition and acclimatization to civic surroundings. No transport vehicles or near installations match escape patterns; public prompted to report sightings via 314-657-1500 rather than probe singly.