Monkey Escapes At San Antonio Airport: 'It Got Loose' (Photos)

SAN ANTONIO, TX — A monkey escaped its crate at San Antonio International Airport and was able to run around the facility, a spokeswoman said. The monkey, a rhesus macaque, arrived Monday afternoon in a crate on an American Airlines flight from Chicago O' Hare, spokeswoman Evelyn Bailey tells Patch.

Prashant Khetan, CEO of the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary, tells Patch the macaque, named Dawkins, was being flown to their facility near San Antonio.

"Dawkins is now safe and he is contained and he will hopefully and very shortly be transferred to the primate sanctuary in south Texas," says Khetan. "Everything is under control as was expected to happen here, but there was a little bit of an interesting time here in the middle."

While being transferred from the airplane to cargo, "somewhere along those lines it got loose," says Bailey, the airport spokeswoman.

Details about how the macaque got loose weren't immediately known, but Bailey says the animal was in an "isolated area" nowhere near the terminal or runway. She described the area as a cargo and luggage area.

"It's kind of sitting there and I'm sure it's intimidated because there's people all around," she said.

A wildlife biologist that the airport has on staff was called to the scene, she said.

American Airlines confirmed in a statement to Patch that the animal was headed to a sanctuary.

“After the arrival of American Airlines 1014 from Chicago O’Hare, a monkey that was en route to a local animal sanctuary and refuge in the San Antonio-area inadvertently became free of his cage," the airline said. "He is currently in an isolated area where it is safe, away from all of our team members and customers."

The airline said it worked with the city aviation officials and the local zoo to capture the animal.

"American Airlines, the San Antonio Aviation Department and officials from the San Antonio Zoo all worked in conjunction to ensure his safety and well-being as he continues his journey to his new home."

City police confirmed to Patch that airport police were called for a report of a loose monkey around 2:38 p.m. and that as of 4 p.m. the animal still hadn't been caught.

Animal patrol officers and representatives from the San Antonio Zoo are at the scene, police confirmed to Patch, as well as a game warden.

No passengers or flights were impacted by the incident, authorities said.

Khetan, CEO of the sanctuary, wouldn't disclose where Dawkins came from or comment on his condition. He says the primate will receive a medical evaluation to see if he can be integrated into the population sooner rather than later.

"It's impossible for us to say how quickly he can [integrate] and where he'll end up without having him at the sanctuary," says Khetan. "We do kind of a full medical checkup and everything, try to gauge what's his ability to interact with other macaques, with other species. All of that's a process."

The 186-acre sanctuary near the city provides primates as "high a quality of life" as possible. The facility holds around 500 primates, many of which were rescued from abusive or exploitative situations.

Khetan says the Texas facility works with research facilities and zoos to "retire" their animals.

"Often times we get primates that used to be kept as pets," he says.

HAPPENING NOW -This isn't your average Monday monkey business.
There's a monkey on the loose at San Antonio International Airport. Officials say it came out of a crate. Efforts to capture it are underway. #KENS5Eyewitness pic.twitter.com/tjqeBCxAUF
— Monica Nino (@MonicaNinoTV) May 21, 2018

This is not your typical story, but there is a report of a monkey, yes a MONKEY, on the loose at San Antonio International Airport. SKY 12 is flying over the scene. Stay with @ksatnews for the latest #KSATnews pic.twitter.com/CawT4S3wYi
— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) May 21, 2018

Lots of officials now at the San Antonio airport where a monkey is still loose. No major flight delays known yet #kens5eyewitness pic.twitter.com/7q5ak4X41M
— James Keith (@James_Keith) May 21, 2018

This story corrects an earlier version that cited media reports saying the monkey was a baboon.

Photo credit: Shutterstock