Monkey Escapes from Beekse Bergen Safari Park, Spotted Roaming in Nearby Village

A crested mangabey monkey has escaped from Beekse Bergen Safari Park in Hilvarenbeek and was spotted wandering through the nearby village of Esbeek.

Local resident Anke Thaels (49) got the surprise of her life when her German shepherd Luc started barking at an unfamiliar creature during her morning walk. At first she could not believe her eyes when she saw the monkey. It ran toward her and her dog, which sent Luc into a frenzy. But the monkey remained remarkably calm, walking right up to them completely unbothered.

The monkey disappeared into a tree shortly after. Thaels managed to capture it on video and later used ChatGPT to identify the species.

Beekse Bergen confirmed that a crested mangabey went missing over the weekend. The species is native to the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The park said the surrounding area is too large for an easy search. The wandering monkey has not been recaptured yet.