(NEW YORK) — Police in Florida have issued a warning about a wild monkey on the loose and told residents to steer clear of the animal if they encounter it.
The Orange City, Florida Police Department confirmed that it has received multiple calls about a wild rhesus macaque running rampant through residential neighborhoods and that they have notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of the sightings.
“Please do not feed or attempt to capture these monkeys,” the agency said.
With a lifespan of up to 40 years, rhesus macaques can become aggressive when fed as well as possibly carrying a host of diseases that can be spread to humans, said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Police did not say if the monkey was wild or domesticated or if they had received any reports about where it had possibly come from.
Authorities are pleading to stay away from the mammal at all costs and, if encountered, to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission immediately.
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