More monkey sightings in South Lake County

Clermont visitor Rachel Long expected to have the opportunity to show her daughters real life alligators in Florida, but not a monkey running wild.

"It was on May 2, late morning early afternoon when we saw it," the surprised mom from Washington told the Daily Commercial.

Long posted a photo in the Facebook group Everything Clermont of what appeared to be a rhesus macaque striding a fence at the Cottonwood Clermont apartment complex. She was responding to another member's post about the same monkey.

Shortly before Long's encounter, Fox 35 reported on video footage of another Clermont sighting.

Are there monkeys in Florida? Videos show sightings in this part of the state

"Pretty much, we were just leaving the apartment we are staying at, and my girls saw the monkey walking on the fence," Long said. "I was able to snap a quick picture then it went over the fence."

Last week, the Daily Commercial reported a macaque sighting by South Lake High School in Groveland on April 30.

How is this possible?

There have been 236 reports of wild monkey sightings in Florida since 1959 , with most of them between 2007 and November 2023, according to Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports and tracking by the University of Georgia .

That number seems to be growing. The macaques are native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia and China, but were introduced to Florida by a cruise operator named Col. S. Tooey in the late 1930s .

The unwitting colonel let the primates loose on a small island in the Silver River at what is now Silver Springs State Park for a Tarzan adventure-inspired jungle boat tour, but rhesus macaque monkeys are nimble swimmers and easily made a new life for themselves elsewhere on the grounds.

Since the mid-20th century, the monkey population in the area has increased dramatically , and tourists see them almost daily while visiting the Silver Springs, adjacent to the Ocala National Forest, another viable escape route connected to the Ocklawaha River and other waterways.

A University of Florida IFAS report tells us that six years ago, a minimum of 134 macaques were reported by naturalist scholars among six groups living along the Ocklawaha. The groups spanned an area at least 12.4 miles north and 6.8 miles south of where the Silver River flows into the Ocklawaha River.

Primate expert Linda Wasko, president of Primate Paradise in Osteen, commented to FOX 35 about the sighting in Groveland. She, along with the FWC, identified the primate as a rhesus macaque and explained that the monkeys may have migrated from the Wekiva River area.

But that's not the only macaque escape incident in Florida. In the 1970s, a few exited an amusement park called Tropical Wonderland in Titusville. There were efforts by the Fish and Florida Wildlife Commission to trap somewhere around 35 to 75 monkeys, but it still remains unclear how much of an impact that mission had on the invasive primate population.

More monkeys on the loose: Are there monkeys in Florida? More sightings in this part of the state

What to do, what not to do if you see a wild monkey

Though no fatalities have been reported in Florida, monkeys that have been fed can become territorial and more aggressive. According to officials from the FWC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they can carry diseases that can be fatal to humans such as rabies, hepatitis B and B herpes.

If for a moment common sense escapes you, remember to never feed a wild monkey or approach one. If you keep a safe distance, you should be fine.

On the rare occasion that a monkey seems aggressive, don’t run or show your fear. Stay calm. The hierarchy in monkey clans tells the monkey that you are subordinate if you run away, and playing the victim might make them more aggressive. As with other wild mammal encounters , you shouldn't run away. Back away slowly and avoid eye contact.

Several commenters on the Everything Clermont page spotted the macaques. "I wonder if they will be attending our Food truck Friday's in downtown Clermont today. That would be awesome, said one group member."

You can download the FWC's "Monkey English" brochure at https://myfwc.com/media/17162/brochure_monkey_english.pdf

Report Florida monkey/primate sightings and aggressive behavior to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: More monkey sightings in South Lake County