A Monkey Is On the Loose in Galveston, Texas

Citizens of Galveston, Texas should keep their eyes peeled for a glimpse of a runaway capuchin monkey named Lilly.

According to Galveston’s The Daily News, Lilly went missing after her owner’s East End house was broken into on Monday, January 20. Local police don’t believe the thieves broke into the house in order to kidnap Lilly, so they’re assuming she escaped by herself during or after the crime. Initially, Lilly was believed to be dead, but according to Click 2 Houston, those reports were "premature" and police have resumed their search for the missing capuchin.

Galveston Police Department spokesperson Xavier Hancock told The Daily News that although Lilly is socialized, anybody who spots her shouldn’t try to catch her themselves—instead, they can call the police at 409-765-3702. Owning a monkey is against the law in Galveston, but the owner hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing.

It’s not the first time that the area has hosted an elusive monkey. Back in September, there were reported sightings of an unidentified primate swinging through the trees in the nearby town of Santa Fe. Though no monkey was ever found, the situation stirred up a fair amount of online discussion and more than a little misinformation.

Some had originally identified the animal as a chimpanzee, but Bayou Animal Services seemed confident that it was a small monkey—maybe a capuchin—rather than an ape. And The Daily News reported at the time that one website had published stock video footage of a monkey along with its report of the incident, which caused some people to think the animal in the video was the actual one on the loose.

The mystery of Santa Fe’s anonymous monkey probably won’t be solved, but hopefully Lilly will be located and brought to safety soon.