Dylan Bettencourt
Authorities in California claimed a monkey at a local zoo caused a stir when it got hold of a cell phone and dialled 911.
Deputies at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office raised the alarms after they received a call on Saturday because the line was cut off, and they feared someone was in trouble.
According to a police statement, the deputies attempted to call back as there may have been an emergency but there was no response.
The office then decided to investigate, following the listed address in Paso Robles city. The mystery deepened when the address led them to a zoo.
The penny finally dropped when the police were told that the call did not come from a human, but rather a monkey named “Route”.
Route, a resident at the Zoo to You park, pinched the phone from a golf cart and made the call by chance.
“We’re told Capuchin monkeys are very inquisitive and will grab anything and everything and just start pushing buttons,” the statement said.
Relieved that no one was hurt, the sheriff’s office was able to smile about the mix-up and even posted a selfie taken with Route to social media.
The zoo responded to the post by highlighting this incident as a reason not to keep monkeys as pets.
“While we wish it was for something a little more conservation education-based, let this serve as an educational lesson that monkeys are NOT animals that should be kept as pets!” Zoo to You wrote on Facebook.
“They’re so inquisitive you never know what might happen!”
Image source: @DigitalTrends
