Monkey On The Loose in Tewksbury, MA

Well, with everything going on in the news lately, this may not surprise you. I have to admit it caught my attention though. A monkey on the loose in Tewksbury, Ma?!

That's the call the Tewksbury Police Department received yesterday around 11:30am.  A resident called saying they thought they spotted a monkey in the tree line.  Officers came and investigated but couldn't find anything. They issued a warning on their Facebook page to not try to approach or feed the monkey if spotted.

NBC 10 reports that a search is still underway today for the monkey.  Animal control officers and police are on ATVs scouring the area, and they are also using drones to look.

Diane Charlton tells NBC 10 that she spotted the monkey while she was out for a walk, and her son also spotted the animal in their backyard.  Charlton says she got scared, and the monkey must have as well, because he ran off.

Police had thought maybe the monkey got loose from the Shawsheen Animal Hospital, which is nearby, but officials there said they did not lose a monkey!

Dr. Michelle Caruso tells NBC 10 that monkeys are not legal in Massachusetts.  She also warned not to get close to the monkey because they can carry Herpes B Virus which can be fatal to humans.

The story even make the NY Post with the headline "Massachusetts Town Freaks Out Over Possible Monkey On The Loose!".   But WBZ 4 reports that Caruso is more concerned with the monkey:

"I don’t think one monkey potentially on the loose should cause any concern to anybody. I’m more concerned for the well-being of the monkey than a human if that makes sense."

So, no need to panic, but if you see a monkey running down your street, you are not going bananas!