Monkey on the loose in Hilvarenbeek after Beekse Bergen escape

A monkey is on the loose in Hilvarenbeek. The male crested mangabey escaped from Safaripark Beekse Bergen last week and was spotted in the vicinity of the park multiple times. On Tuesday, a woman walking her dog in the village of Esbeek managed to record a video of the critter, which can be seen in the Brabants Dagblad.

The male crested mangabey is not dangerous to humans or pets, but the safari park still urged people who encounter the animal to call the number on its website rather than trying to capture it themselves.

The monkey escaped its enclosure by making a big jump and then swimming across the moat around it, Stijn Berger, a biologist at Beekse Bergen, told Omroep Brabant. This is the first time this has happened at the park, but it is not inconceivable, he said.

“The monkeys are kept there together with gorillas. They have been there for years, and that always went well. But if they make a jump and swim across the moat, then they are free. They don’t like swimming, but of course, that doesn’t meant hey can’t do it.”

The monkey spent some time in the trees in the park, and then ventured into the outside world over the weekend. “Of course, you want to prevent that, but they are so fast and agile. If a monkey like that goes through the trees, it’s easier for him to get out of the park than for us,” Berger said.

Since then, the park has been searching for the critter for all its might. There isn’t much chance of the monkey coming back on its own, according to the biologist. “He loves leaves in trees, so in that respect, this little monkey doesn’t need us right now. The weather is also quite nice for him. After all, he comes from tropical Africa.”

But the park still needs to find him. “This animal won’t be able to survive that in the long run, so we are quite worried.”