By Associated Press, 09/10/01

DANVILLE, N.H. -- There may be some monkey business going on in town.

Roughly a dozen people, including Fire Chief David Kimball, say they recently saw a large monkey on the loose in this small town of 3,800 people in southern New Hampshire.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said. Neither could his wife. "She told me I had flipped when I told her."

Kimball said he was driving through town recently when the monkey jumped into the middle of the street, hopped a bit, then lunged away.

On Sunday volunteers and animal control officers used bananas and oranges to try to attract the monkey.

Experts hope to capture the monkey before it gets any cooler. They said otherwise the creature is unlikely to live past November.

Kimball thinks he identified the monkey as a Humbolt's woolly monkey, which is native to the Amazon, after watching television programs on the Adventure Channel.

"It would be quite tall, maybe about four feet, if it were standing straight up, but they walk on all fours, a bit hunched over," he said. He described the creature as very woolly and dark brown all over with a red hue.

Kimball said he thinks somebody in the area was keeping the monkey as a pet, but won't admit it escaped because it is illegal to keep monkeys in New Hampshire.

He said his research indicated Humbolt monkeys supposedly make good pets. He said it is legal to purchase monkeys in Massachusetts.

"He probably got out and no one is owning up to it," Kimball said.

Kimball said he knows of at least eight other people who have spotted the monkey around town.

"They're all getting the same reaction when they tell someone they've seen it," he said. "People tell them they're crazy."

The chief said the town's animal control officer has contacted a wildlife expert, who has expressed interest in trying to trap the monkey.

"Fish and Game had no interest in it because it's not a native animal," Kimball said.

Animal Control Officer Denise Laratondo said she is trying to find the monkey's home.

"We aren't going to press any charges," she said. "We just want to do what's best for this animal and keep it alive."

She also said it is best that people not try to capture the monkey.

"Please let the experts handle it," she said.