How The Authorities Caught The White Faced Monkey

Raw eggs, peanut butter and bananas attracted a female capuchin monkey into a live trap Thursday night, ending a chase for the $5,000 animal that had gone on for over two weeks.

The trap was set up near homes off of County Q, across the street from the park. Food was swapped out daily to lure the monkey.

The white-faced monkey seems to be in good physical shape, said William Faherty, director of Chippewa Falls Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.

The monkey was released with several other animals by vandals sometime late on Aug. 18 or early Aug. 19. Within a few days all the animals were found but the capuchin.

The vandals have not yet been identified.

“We’ve been knowing its trail since Saturday or Sunday,” Faherty said of the monkey.

Numerous reports had funneled into the Chippewa Falls Police Department over the past two weeks from people who had seen the monkey. She had not been reported far from the park at any time.

Neighbors across County Q from the park had been continuously updating the Parks Department about the monkey’s location over the past week.

When zookeeper Jennifer London checked the traps Thursday night, the capuchin was found in one of them.

“We didn’t have to tranquilize it or anything,” Faherty said.

Faherty was pleased by the public’s interest in finding the monkey.

“I was sort of impressed on how the community took ownership of this monkey,” he said.

“That’s impressive that people care about our zoo.”

The search for the monkey and the other animals released by the vandals cost city workers a lot of time they could have spent doing other duties, Faherty said.

“Every time somebody called (with a monkey sighting), we sent someone out,” he said.

Faherty said repair the fence cut by the vandals cost $895.50. American Fence Co. of Chippewa Falls donated the work at no cost to the city.

“If we catch the thieves, this is what we’re charging them,” Faherty said.

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