Drones capture fresh footage of escaped Japanese macaque monkey as search enters fourth day in the Highlands

Fresh drone footage of the escaped monkey has been captured as the search enters it’s fourth day in the Highlands.

The Japanese macaque remains on the loose in Kincraig after it broke out of the Highland Wildlife Park on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Park said they were able to spot and follow the monkey on Tuesday for 45 minutes but he was not in a position where they could bring him in “safely”.

However, they confirmed that the escapee is “slowly” making his way back to the park.

A number of videos have been shared on social media featuring the monkey, one of which shows him enjoying a snack on a bird feeder.

A spokesperson for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) warned members of the public not to approach the animal and instead contact the organisation with any information.

The public has been asked to bring any food left outside indoors to encourage the monkey to return to the park.

On Wednesday, Keith Gilchrist, living collections operations manager at Highland Wildlife Park said: “After continued help from @bhwildlifeconsultancy we were able to follow the macaque for 45 minutes yesterday using drones.

“Unfortunately, he wasn’t in a position where we were confident we could bring him in safely but he is making his way closer to the park.

“Our team will be out again today but given the high winds we won’t be able to fly the drones but will be using thermal imaging cameras.

“We’re continuing to ask locals to please bring any obvious potential food sources like bird feeders or food waste inside.

“Although the macaque is not presumed dangerous to humans or pets, our advice is to not approach him but to contact our hotline on 07933928377 with any sightings.”