Monkey On The Loose in Gwinnett

Have you seen this monkey? The Yerkes National Primate Research Center Field Station reported a monkey just like the one pictured has gone missing from its Lawrenceville facility. Yerkes is part of Emory University.

Researchers first realized the rhesus monkey was gone during a routine veterinary exam on June 15. Lisa Newbern, a representative from Yerkes, says researchers waited six days before formally announcing the 2-year-old female monkey was missing because they were looking for her within the compound first.

“We never thought there’d be a threat to the public but we ultimately made the decision to let people and our neighbors know,” she said.

The facility is located in the Collins Hill section of Lawrenceville. Newbern says they do “a ton of educational outreach” and have direct contact with their neighbors.

Newbern reassures residents that the monkey is not dangerous and said, “it was specifically bred not to have the diseases common in rhesus monkeys.” Those diseases include the herpes B virus.

However, Newbern reminds people that it is still a wild animal and should be treated as such. “Do not treat it as a pet,” said Newbern. “If you should see this monkey, please call the center or Animal Control.”

The monkey was part of a behavioral research study and Newbern said it would have been later used in to study breeding in a few years.

If you see the monkey, please call the Yerkes Center at 404-727-7732 or Gwinnett County Animal Control at 770-339-3200.

This article originated on Lawrenceville Patch.