A monkey has escaped Fota Wildlife Park and is on the loose in Cork

Keep an eye out...

A Colobus monkey is currently on the loose in Cork after it escaped from Fota Wildlife Park. The monkey does not pose any risk to the public, but people have still been warned not to approach it. Reports emerged from Cork yesterday from Cork Safety Alerts that a monkey had been spotted on The Fota Road in Cork. https://twitter.com/CorkSafetyAlert/status/900658693854949378 "Unconfirmed reports of a monkey loose on The Fota Road. Caution advised on approach. @fotawildlife Can you confirm? :)" Fota Wildlife Park confirmed that a Colobus monkey had escaped from the park and that their rangers have implemented an escape protocol for the animal and expect to track it down soon. Colobus monkeys are native to Africa and in the wild they live in all types of closed forests, including montane and gallery forests.

Speaking to JOE, Fota Wildlife spokesperson Roisin Fitzgerald said: "Recently one of our residents a Colobus Monkey, escaped from his habitat here at Fota Wildlife Park.

"Our escape protocol was immediately implemented by Fota Wildlife Park’s trained animal rangers, and we expect he will be rescued very soon, and safely returned to his home.

"Colobus Monkeys are originally from the cool mountain forests of Kenya.  They eat fruits, vegetables, and willow branches.

"We are constantly reviewing our animal welfare policies here at Fota Wildlife Park, so that we can continue to improve our  animal and visitors’ experiences and ensure that the animals who live here can continue to thrive," she said.

People are urged to contact Fota Wildlife Park on 021 481 26 78 if they spot the monkey.