CROCKETT COUNTY, Tenn. — The Crockett County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a loose monkey after a sighting in the Brim’s Corner area on Monday. Deputies were called out to the area near Highway 188, Highway 88 and Highway 54 South, where someone reported seeing the animal.
Deputies told Action News 5 in Memphis that the monkey is on the loose and that it does not belong to Safari Park, a wildlife attraction in the area. Where the animal came from is still unknown. The sheriff’s office also had no description of the monkey, so deputies could not say its size, its color or what kind of monkey it may be.
That lack of detail is part of the challenge. Without a description, the sheriff’s office is relying on residents who may see the animal to call it in. The office is asking anyone who spots the monkey to call the Crockett County Sheriff’s Office at 731-696-2104. It is also asking the owner to come forward: if your monkey has gone missing, deputies want to hear from you.
The report did not say whether anyone had been hurt or whether the animal had been seen more than once. It also did not say how long the monkey may have been loose or give a time for the original call.
If you see it, the common-sense advice for any loose exotic animal applies. Keep your distance, keep children and pets away, and call the sheriff’s office rather than trying to catch or corner it. A frightened primate can bite or scratch, and an animal that has been loose outdoors can carry diseases that are a risk to people. Let deputies and animal-control officials handle the capture.
Brim’s Corner sits at a junction of three state highways in Crockett County, so drivers passing through the area on Monday and Tuesday should be alert for an animal near the road. Raw 100.5 will pass along any update from the sheriff’s office on whether the monkey has been found or its owner identified.