Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal

Author:Jason Hribal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AK Press
Published: 2013-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three: Monkeys Gone Wild

The residents of Bellaire were accustomed to many different sights, but monkeys were not one of them. So when a Japanese macaque turned up on the outskirts of this southeastern Ohio town in 1988, people took notice. At first, no one was quite sure what to think. Was there really a monkey living in the woods? Or were people just seeing things? These doubts were partially cleared when word came that an animal, fitting that same description, was missing from the Pittsburgh Zoo. Yet this news only led to further questions. This particular monkey had escaped more than six months ago, and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania was over sixty miles away. Could a macaque really pull off such an extraordinary feat?

Alphie was born in Texas. He was brought to Pittsburg as a young macaque to work in the children’s section of the city’s zoological park. Over the subsequent years, Alphie grew into adulthood and sired several children of his own. He was, by all reports, a popular figure at the zoo—among both visitors and keepers. His fame would grow even further on July 23, 1987. The previous night, a severe thunderstorm had struck the region bringing heavy rains and high winds. The zoo received some moderate damage with overturned objects and fallen tree limbs. One of those limbs happened to fall within the Japanese macaque exhibit. Alphie and two others fashioned the branch into a bridge and escaped.

Early the next morning, trainers noticed that a few of their monkeys had gone missing. The search was on. However, with nearly seventy-seven acres to cover, the hunt was not going to be an easy task. The three macaques could be anywhere. Making matters worse, the monkeys themselves are not very big and are adept at hiding. Employees and volunteers fanned out, searching high and low. By mid-afternoon, two of the little rascals were rounded up. Alphie proved to be more elusive. Not only did he make it off the park grounds and into the surrounding Highland Park neighborhood, but he headed north and crossed an Allegheny River bridge during rush hour traffic. Pittsburg administrators were dismayed but not defeated.

Over the coming days, city police, zoo employees, and numerous volunteers laid down a dragnet and scoured the region. They tried traps. They put out drugged food. No luck. Residents called in to report sightings: “He’s in my backyard!” Officials would soon arrive, spot their prey, and take quick aim with a tranquilizer gun. Alphie, however, was always one step faster. He would dodge the dart and disappear back into the trees. The zoo assured the media that these were only temporary set backs. Alphie was born in captivity. He could not survive on his own. Anyway, Alphie liked the zoo and enjoyed being cared for by others. Why wouldn’t he want to return? But as the days turned to weeks, the zoo’s confidence waned. Alphie, administrators believed, would not make it back alive. He was surely starving to death. He might have already died.

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