The great escape.
While the rest of us were hiding indoors during Storm Ophelia, three Sulawesi crested macaques were making their escape attempt from Dublin Zoo.
Yes, when the roof of their enclosure was blown off during last October’s storm, three monkeys leapt from their climbing frame to the electric fence overhang and out of their enclosure, it was revealed in the incident report obtained by Darragh McDonagh from The Irish Times.
It was the next morning before Zoo staffers noticed the monkeys were missing. After calling in help from an emergency team, they eventually found the escapees 65 feet up in a tree near their enclosure.
After making failed attempts to get them down with tranquilisers thanks to the heavy winds, zookeepers changed tactics and waited for the monkeys to climb down themselves.
It took two hours, but one of the monkeys did eventually emerge from the tree with the two others needing to be eventually tranquilised to bring them back to safety.
Later, zoo staff said the monkeys’ escape from their enclosure was down to the frightening conditions during the storm which they said made the animals anxious.
The enclosure has since been repaired and the climbing frame has been reduced in size.
