ESCAPE FROM ZOO

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 29 August 1942, Page 1

ESCAPE FROM ZOO

MONKEY GOES VISITING DIVERSION AT WESTMERE The sudden appearance of a monkey at tea-time caused some alarm and a good deal of excitement at residences in Notley street, Westmere (reports the “Herald”). It was a small monkey, described as being the size of a large cat. which had escaped from the Z«© on Monday and was apparently driven by hunger and thirst to human habits tions. Attempts by keepers to recapture it failed, and the monkey was last seen heading for the waste land and scrub between Garnet road, the Zoo and Motion’s Creek. “Look! There's a monkey on the verandah!” This excited cry from the little daughter of Mr W. J. Thompson, first drew attention to the fact that something unusual was at large in Westmere. At first her elder sister and others in the house disbelieved her. but when the child came inside she was so obviously upset that her elders investigated. Sure enough, there was the monkey on the concrete porch, lapping at a rainwater pool. The Thompson family offered the little animal food. It rapidly despatched a couple of bananas and then, probably alarmed by people gathering round it, departed. Soon afterward, however, it approached the residence of Mr P. Marks, and made a fair attempt at opening a door at the back by grasping the latch. In the meantime, the Grey Lynn police had been communicated with and they brought two keepers from the Zoo. Mr Marks made friends with the monkey by offering it apple and, having coaxed it on to his shoulder, was quietly walking toward his wash-house with the idea of locking the creature up, when the keepers arrived. As they closed in, the monkey again became alarmed, snatched the remainder of an apple from Mr Marks and disappeared in the direction of the scrub.