Missouri is known for a lot of things…….the Gateway Arch, Mark Twain, the Pony Express, and gooey-butter cake. Now the show-me state can add monkey rescue to the list. According to officials, a pink tutu-wearing spider monkey was located near Hwy. 21 and Hwy. M in Jefferson County, after receiving a call about an escaped animal. Folks are used to dealing with apes in the area after an HBO documentary reported on an ape enclosure there and how some of the apes had escaped on multiple occasions. Public Safety Officer Grant Bissell said when they got there, they found out that it wasn’t an ape that had escaped, but an 8-pound spider monkey who just happened to be wearing a bright pink tutu. The animal escaped from a nearby home when it opened the front door and went outside to explore. One of the deputies who responded is a K-9 handler, who explained that the monkey came up and started tugging on his pants leg. He didn’t really know what to do, so he squatted down to offer some sort of safety. To his surprise, the monkey reached out and grabbed his hands. Not long after, an individual came forward, stating she was babysitting the animal when it escaped. When police determined the timeline of events, the two went on their way. “This was not a typical afternoon for deputies on patrol in Jefferson County, but you have to be ready to handle anything that comes at you, and sometimes that’s a monkey,” said Bissell.
