November 15, 1994
A monkey that escaped from the San Francisco Zoo last Wednesday is still at large in the area surrounding Lake Merced near SF State.
A eucalyptus tree branch fell into the Patas monkey habitat Wednesday night, providing a bridge to the outside for the five monkeys that live there, said Nancy Chan, director of public relations at the zoo. Three of them, one male and two females, returned immediately. Another female, still missing on zoo grounds, was most recently sighted in the wallaroo area.
The escapee got out of her habitat by climbing up the fallen branch and over the wall, crossing the street near the southern part of Lake Merced, Chan said.
She was seen on Sunset Boulevard and most recently on Skyline Boulevard near Daly City.
If the monkey is sighted, people are advised not to approach her, Chan said. Instead, call animal control immediately, or call the zoo hot line at 753-7128.
"You don't want to chase it out into the street and get it hit by a car," she said.
The monkey is about 15 inches in height and weighs 15 pounds. She is rusty orange with a white face, mustache and feet. She is 15 years old. The life span for a Patas monkey is about 20 years.
She is not considered dangerous, Chan said, but she will bite if provoked. Provocation can be grabbing at her or cornering her.
Patas monkeys are very intelligent, and can survive on their own by eating vegetation, insects, and perhaps food left on the ground, Chan said.
"I don't want to say she'll rummage through garbage, but if there's something lying around she may eat it," Chan said.
In April of 1985 a female Patas monkey and her infant escaped and were found six weeks later at UCSF on Parnassus Heights, no worse for the adventure, Chan said.
"That was in the spring, though," she said. "It's winter now."
At the zoo, the monkeys sleep in a heated area and are fed special food that has all the necessary nutrients they need.