A Springfield zoo monkey in Massachusetts was found and returned home Thursday night after apparently not roaming too far after he escaped from his enclosure.
According to The Boston Globe, the Zoo in Forest Park and Educational Center was scheduled to reopen Friday after Dizzy the guenon monkey made a run for it on Tuesday. Zoo officials told the Globe there has never been an escape at the zoo before.
Megan Rothschild, a zoo board member,
told The Republican that a zoo employee was cleaning the enclosure and stepped out to answer a question from a guest.
"He closed the door but he did not latch it," Rothschild said. "The monkey, being an incredibly intelligent primate, walked over and manually twisted the handle and let himself out."
Dizzy was finally located by zoo officials around 5 p.m. on Thursday at ground level on zoo property. The zoo's facility had been closed to visitors while the hunt for Dizzy went on, officials told the Globe.
The zoo trumpeted Dizzy's return on its Facebook page.
Rothschild said that Dizzy seemed to have been moving back toward his enclosure before he was captured. She said on Tuesday that a child threw a hat at him and spooked him.
Springfield police Lieutenant Phil Tarpy and zoo curator John Lewis walked the grounds Wednesday afternoon with tranquilizer rifles near the perimeter of the zoo, since Dizzy was seen going from tree-to-tree near the southern border of the attraction.
National Geographic stated that guenon monkeys hail from Africa and are known for their diverse faces, from the white moustache and beard on the De Brazza monkey to the dark eye shadow, black quaff, and white forehead highlights on the crowned guenon.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.