By Mark Price
The Bradenton Herald
ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Never mind those drone sightings in the northeast: People in one Florida city swear monkeys are staring back at them when they look out the window.
It’s happening in Orange City, and police are worried some citizens might start getting chummy with the unpredictable primates.
“Do not feed or approach these animals!” police wrote in a Dec. 11 Facebook post.
“The Orange City Police Department has received multiple reports of monkey sightings within the city. If you encounter a monkey, please contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for assistance.”
Police didn’t say how many people have called, and did not offer theories on where the monkey — or monkeys — originated.
Photos shared by police on social media show someone saw one of the monkeys atop their fence, and it appeared to be about the size of a toddler.
The alert has elicited a mix of jokes and threats on social media, including from some people who vowed to treat the monkeys like the state’s invasive iguanas and pythons: “Shoot on sight.”
“Let’s go monkey hunting,” Bob Hughes posted on Facebook.
“10k reward if you bring me one,” Rolo Ramos wrote.
“Life will never be the same again. We have monkeys on the loose, drones on the loose ... The only one not on the loose is PDiddy. ... How much more are we going to have to deal with? Cindy Due Iles wrote.
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