Momo the monkey, with sprint speeds up to 30 mph, nabbed after escape in Indianapolis
Police captured a blazing-fast monkey on the run in Indianapolis on Thursday after the primate dodged area residents, cops and animal control for about 24 hours. Then they cited the monkey's owner.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department posted the news announcing the capture of the monkey named Momo on X.
"That was more than enough monkey business for us," police wrote. "Thank you all for your assistance."
CAPTURED 🐒
Momo the monkey has been captured safely.
That was more than enough monkey business for us.
Thank you all for your assistance. pic.twitter.com/CqVHoLcRGJ— IMPD (@IMPDnews) October 5, 2023
Police had been helping the city's Animal Care Services to look for Momo since reports began coming in Wednesday about a monkey charging and running toward people in a neighborhood about 14 miles east of downtown, police said.
Momo is a patas monkey, the fastest species of primate with sprint speeds as high as 30 mph. Her certainly gave Indianapolis authorities a run for their money.
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'There is a freaking monkey on my car'
Momo gave area resident Karri Harbert the shock of her life when he got on the hood of her car on Wednesday.
"I just pulled into my driveway and I think there is a freaking monkey on my car," Harbert said before Momo jumped off and disappeared, according to a video she posted to Facebook.
"I get home and start to get out of my car and a MONKEY walks up to my open car door," she posted. "It took me a few seconds to figure out what it was so I closed the door and he jumped onto the hood of my car! I was starting to get out of my car again and the police (several of them) pulled up and told me to stay in the car that there is a very aggressive monkey on the loose!"
Harbert ended the post by saying: "You can’t make this stuff up!"
Other sightings of Momo the monkey
The animal was spotted on the east side of the city in the Irongate neighborhood on Wednesday night, police spokesperson Samone Burris told USA TODAY.
Momo reappeared around 8 a.m. Thursday in the same area, with a caller reporting that he was on her back porch trying to get into her house, said Indianapolis police Lt. William Carter.
Momo ran into a wooded area after officers arrived. Authorities searched for him in the woods for several hours to no avail.
Escaped Monkey in Indianapolis
An ESCAPED MONKEY named “Momo” on the loose on the east side of Indianapolis has already reportedly attacked and bitten one man.You can hear a terrified child and his mother in the background of this video.Residents are urged not to approach the monkey, and to call authorities or animal control if they spot the animal.
Posted by Black Indy LIVE on Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Momo was once again spotted on the street on the east side of the city late in the morning Thursday. Around 11 a.m., Momo entered a vacant home that was under construction.
An officer shut all the doors to the home and Momo was captured in a bathroom. His owner's brother came to the home to help apprehend Momo before the monkey was turned over to Animal Care Services, Carter said.
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Where did Momo the monkey come from?
Momo went missing after he either removed or chewed through a bungee cord that was holding a tarp in place before he jumped over a fence and escaped around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
“Please if you see him don’t approach him just call police or animal control,” reads a post that appears to be from his owner in an Indianapolis lost and found pets Facebook group.
Back in July, Momo’s apparent owner posted in the same Facebook group that the animal had escaped. His post was later updated to say that Momo had been found safe.
The apparent owner included photos of the monkey curled up while wearing a Christmas sweater and a video of Momo carrying a stuffed animal.
Is it legal to own a pet monkey in Indianapolis?
The municipal code has a section that allows for ownership of certain dangerous animals if they are registered with Animal Care Services and their owners post a warning sign about them. It is unlawful to own more than two dangerous animals in the city at any time, the code reads.
There were no concerns of mistreatment inside Momo’s owner’s home when animal care officers responded Wednesday, Carter said.
"It was very clean,” he said. “There was an outside structure that is for the monkey that is very large."
Still, Eileen Dallaire, executive director of the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, Kentucky, told IndyStar that monkeys do not make good pets because they're social creatures and want to be with others of their kind.
“The overall lesson is that primates do not belong in private homes," she said. "Incidents like this occur and put the community at risk, put the children in the community at risk, put small animals at risk.”
Will Momo's owner face any consequences?
Momo's owner, who was not identified, was cited "for the monkey chasing and approaching in a menacing fashion,” Katie Trennepohl, deputy director of Indianapolis Animal Care Services, said at a news conference about the wayward monkey on Thursday.
Her office was working with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if any further legal consequences are necessary, she said.
Police reported that someone suffered minor injuries in connection with Momo, but Burris said there have been no confirmed reports of a biting.
What happens to Momo the monkey now?
It's unclear whether Momo will ever return to his home.
Momo was placed into an animal control vehicle and was in the process of being taken to the Indianapolis Zoo on Thursday afternoon. He will be evaluated and held at the zoo until authorities decide if he will be returned to his owner, Trennepohl said.
Social media reacts to Momo the monkey's adventures
Within hours of Momo's escape, someone had created an X account with the username Momo the Indy Monkey.
One user wrote a post joking about the situation and citing the 1995 thriller "Outbreak" about an escaped monkey that causes a global pandemic.
"Dustin Hoffman running around Indianapolis right now yelling "WE GOTTA CATCH THAT MONKEY!" they wrote.
Dustin Hoffman running around Indianapolis right now yelling "WE GOTTA CATCH THAT MONKEY!"
— Hank F in Akron 🏆🥇 (@HankF330ToGo) October 5, 2023
Many users responded to the police post on X about Momo's capture, with one saying that he looked guilty.
Another said: "Awww, Momo looks embarrassed. Glad his adventure had a good ending."
'No monkey business allowed': Best reactions to Momo the monkey's escape and capture
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Momo the patas monkey captured after daring escape in Indianapolis
