Honshu the monkey moved to Edinburgh Zoo from Highland Wildlife Park for 'fresh start' after escape
Japanese macaque Honshu escaped from Highland Wildlife Park last month, sparking a multi-agency search with help from a thermal imaging drone.
Thursday 29 February 2024 11:05, UK
A cheeky monkey who spent five days on the run in the Scottish Highlands has been moved to another zoo for a "fresh start".
Japanese macaque Honshu escaped from Highland Wildlife Park last month, sparking a multi-agency search with help from a thermal imaging drone.
He was eventually captured after being spotted eating from a bird feeder in a garden less than two miles away from the visitor attraction.
It is thought the seven-year-old monkey may have been tempted by some Yorkshire pudding that resident Stephanie Bunyan had left out overnight for the birds.
On his return to Highland Wildlife Park, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said he appeared to have "consumed quite a lot of peanuts" during his time in the wild.
On Thursday, RZSS said Honshu - nicknamed Kingussie Kong during his escape - had been moved to Edinburgh Zoo to give him a "fresh start".
Keepers said it would have been "very difficult" to reintroduce him to his wider family after his time away and he is of the age when macaques generally disperse or move further afield.
Honshu has also been accompanied by three other males from his troop.
The RZSS runs both Highland Wildlife Park and Edinburgh Zoo.
Darren McGarry, head of living collections at RZSS, said: "Primate group dynamics can be very complex, especially in a situation like this where an individual is separated from the troop for an extended period of time.
"Honshu is also of the age when macaques disperse or move away, so it would have been very difficult to reintroduce him to his wider family.
"Instead, we want to create a new, mini-troop for him, comprised of three other male macaques of similar age - just like with our giraffes.
"Thankfully they have settled in well together at the park and are now being moved to their new home at the zoo."
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The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is the most northerly living non-human primate, according to the RZSS.
Keith Gilchrist, living collections operations manager at Highland Wildlife Park, said: "We were amazed by the level of interest in Honshu's escape from across the globe but our only priority throughout the process was to secure his safe return.
"I'm glad to say that thanks largely to the expertise of the team involved in his recapture, as well as a groundswell of support from the local community, we were able to do just that.
"Now it's time for Honshu's next chapter."