Monkey stopped for food from garden birdfeeder after being on run for five days

01 February 2024 , 15:01

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Honshu was on the run for five days (Image: Daily Record)

An escaped monkey was found tucking into a garden bird feeder after having been on the run for five days in the Scottish Highlands.

A search was sparked last Sunday after Honshu, a Japanese macaque, made a bid for freedom having found a way out of his enclosure at Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie. But after having managed to evade capture the hungry animal was finally cornered having gone for the bird feed in a garden.

The monkey was shot with a tranquilliser dart this morning and then he was taken back to the park where he will be checked over by a vet before being reintroduced to his group. Keith Gilchrist, the park's living collections operations manager, said: "We can confirm we have successfully caught the macaque that escaped from the park on Sunday, named Honshu.

"After a call to our hotline just after 10am, our keepers and drone team made their way to a member of the public's garden where the monkey was eating from a bird feeder and successfully used a tranquilliser dart to catch him.

Honshu is a Japanese macaque (CARL NAGLE)

He was found eating bird feed (Daily Record)

"The monkey is on the way back to the park with our keepers where he will be looked over by one of our vet team and reintroduced to sub-adult males within the group. We want to thank everyone who has helped during the process and will continue to share any further updates."

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A drone was used in the search and experts were able to follow the monkey for 45 minutes on Tuesday using the device, though were not able to retrieve him that day. People in the area were urged to bring obvious potential food sources like bird feeders or food waste inside to encourage the monkey to make his way back to the park.

Drone footage of Honshu on the run (PA)

Honshu is now back at Highland Wildlife Park (CARL NAGLE)

They were also advised not to approach the animal, although he was presumed not to be dangerous to humans or pets. Drone footage captured on Tuesday, with help from BH Wildlife Consultancy, showed the monkey roaming about underneath trees and sitting in undergrowth to have a look about before loping off.

The monkey, which had been nicknamed Kingussie Kong, was around 300 metres north of the entry to the park in the footage captured on Tuesday. The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is the most northerly living non-human primate, according to Park operators the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Tim Hanlon