Escaped Japanese macaque remains on the loose in Scottish Highlands as search enters fifth day

The hunt for an escaped monkey has entered its fifth day as experts continue to scour the Highlands.

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

Since then an extensive search, including zoo keepers and drones, has been launched to locate the escapee and bring him back to his enclosure.

The monkey has been spotted by a number of locals who have shared videos on social media, one of which shows him enjoying a snack on a bird feeder.

A spokesperson for the Park said they were able to spot and follow the monkey on Tuesday for 45 minutes but the animal 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 spokesperson for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) reiterate warnings to members of the public, telling them not to approach the animal and instead contact the organisation with any information.

Keith Gilchrist, living collections operations manager at Highland Wildlife Park, said: “Our teams are back out again today along with BH Wildlife Consultancy using the drone to try and locate the monkey.

“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.”