Woman recounts moment she saw police safely capture missing monkey in Surf City

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Living in Surf City, Angela Wolfe is used to seeing dogs, alligators and the occasional tourist. However, on Thursday afternoon, she saw something that was just bananas.

“There was a lady there and I asked her what was going on. She said, 'You'll never guess but there's a monkey on the loose,'” Wolfe said. “That’s when we realized this wasn’t going to be a typical day at the beach.”

Surf City police say a vacationer's pet monkey went missing after escaping from its cage. Its owners lived in a rental building on 8th Street. The monkey ran several blocks before finally being caught near Wolfe's house.

“You could hear him screaming,” Wolfe said. “He [animal control worker] carried her. She was wearing a onesie and a diaper. She looked so scared, but she was so precious.

Police then reunited the monkey with its owners. Wolfe thought the excitement was over, but then she checked the Ring Doorbell camera footage.

“I was going through my footage of the ring and I saw all the police officers were coming into our yard and I saw the monkey came by and was sitting on our back deck,” Wolfe said. “I had just been outside not long before with our dog. I couldn't imagine being outside and watching a monkey come into our yard.

City officials say they learned additional details when they returned the monkey.

“The monkey’s name is Claire,” said Kellie Cannon, Surf City public information officer. “She is very kind, very intelligent and wanted to get out and see our beautiful island.”

Cannon said the event served as a lesson to everyone who lives in the area.

“If they spot a wild animal, contact 911 immediately and we will dispatch officers and animal control officers to the scene,” Cannon said. “Don’t approach an animal this way because you don’t know its behavior.”

Wolfe said she was impressed with how authorities handled the situation.

“I'm thankful the police were there and they did a great job getting her back, without hurting her and they were very sympathetic to the owners and the monkey,” Wolfe said. “They did a great job.”

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