Rare Monkey Loose in Central Indiana Has Been Safely Captured [VIDEO]

Lexington KY has been keeping an eye on the story that's been unfolding in Indianapolis over the past week, and they've probably been saying, "Hold my beer."

It was just a couple a years ago when a buffalo, of all things, evaded Lexington police after escaping its enclosure. While I never saw an update informing us that the enormous creature had been captured, I can't imagine that it wasn't. As for that Indianapolis story? Well, that has a confirmed happy ending.

Who Would Have Thought? An Unusual-Looking Monkey on the Loose in Indy

Momo the monkey jumped a fence earlier this week and went exploring through a Motor City neighborhood, much to the consternation of onlookers who, ahem, were NOT expecting to see a monkey that day. I guess that would be a very weird sight anyway, but Momo is a patas monkey; it's a species native to central Africa. He's probably not what folks think of when they think of monkeys. Very unusual, indeed. These people thought so, too:

My family owned a spider monkey named Joe when I was a child, but he proved to be too adversarial toward everyone in the house but Mom. So he had to go. But Joe was much, much smaller than Momo. I'm not sure I would have immediately thought "monkey" if I saw him.

Momo the Monkey Is Safe and Will Have a New Home

Well, anyway, the story has a happy conclusion. Momo has been captured, and safely, but will not return to the home from which he escaped. No, Momo will become a new resident of the Indianapolis Zoo.

A Little Background on the Patas Monkey

For multiple reasons, it's a relief that Momo was found unharmed and will live safely in a new home because, for one thing, he could have hurt someone. And that would have led to him being subdued in a way that would be most unfortunate, to say the least. But patas monkeys are a rare species and need to be protected. Their population seems to be in decline in their native land.

I'm glad Momo is safe, and I'm happy folks visiting the Indianapolis Zoo will be able to now learn about a fascinating and unusual species of monkey they may never have seen or heard of before.