ST. CLOUD, Fla. -- A large monkey, described by witnesses as about 4 feet tall when it's on all fours, has been spotted several times in the St. Cloud area.
The animal has been spotted at least four times, said officials, including sightings behind the Home Depot on Dakota Avenue near the lakefront and on Wisconsin Avenue, also near the lakefront.
"Last Saturday night we were going to go to dinner and we passed here, and there were four Sandhill cranes in the middle of the street looking at this monkey," said Kathryn McGinley, who was with her husband. "He thinks I'm nuts anyway, so I said, 'There's a monkey! Turn around.'"
"It was a big monkey," her husband said.
Another witness said they saw the monkey in some trees.
"If I saw it, I'd go inside," a neighbor said.
"I don't want to tangle with a monkey," said Les Plett, a Osceola County resident who lives feet from three of the recent sightings.
Plett said some of his house guests spotted the animal outside his home.
"He just walked across, and then he stood upright on his two hind legs. Up to that point, they thought they were looking at a wildcat," said Plett, who added that he used to own monkeys. "I lived in the Philippines, I had a number of pet monkeys -- and they can be very mean and can bite -- so maybe someone just got tired of taking care of the monkey."
It's not known to whom the monkey belongs.
So far, the monkey has not threatened anyone, however, if anyone sees the animal, they are asked to call Osceola County Animal Control at 407-742-8000 and the St. Cloud Police Department at 407-891-6700. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission can also be contacted at 407-275-4150.
