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A banana bait brings the monkey business at Lichtwiesenwald to a happy end
An unusual operation caused amusement in Darmstadt on Thursday afternoon (April 3): In the area of Otto-Berndt-Straße, an escaped squirrel monkey from the Vivarium Zoo was captured – with the help of a banana and the combined efforts of police and zoo staff.
Around 2 p.m., the monkey named Tiziano escaped from its enclosure at the Darmstadt Zoo Vivarium and headed towards the "TU-Lichtwiese" bus stop. There, it was spotted by an observant passerby who immediately informed the police.
Instead of waiting for a bus, Tiziano chose to escape into the adjacent forest. A joint search operation by the 2nd police precinct and the zoo team ensued – with a special trick up their sleeve: During a staged "handover" of a banana between a police officer and a zoo employee, the little monkey couldn't resist his appetite. Lured from his hiding place, the "arrest" was accomplished without incident. Tiziano was safely returned to the vivarium.
The squirrel monkey's escapade thankfully had no serious consequences – but instead led to an unusual chapter in the daily lives of the police and the zoo. The vivarium is now investigating how the escape could have occurred.
(Darmstadt - red/ots)
