Runaway monkey crosses county line into Oldsmar

OLDSMAR – The runaway monkey's on the move again, this time at an Oldsmar apartment complex, officials said this afternoon.

The 30-pound runaway monkey, likely a macaque, was seen swinging from treetops to rooftops at the Sabal Palm at Boot Ranch Apartments near 1355 Bay Harbor Drive, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said it can be aggressive and asked that residents report any new sightings.

Deputies can't confirm yet that it's the same monkey-on-the-lam last seen Friday in northwest Hillsborough County. But a map of four separate monkey sightings across Tampa Bay in the last two weeks shows a similar path headed diagonally to the Gulf of Mexico.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it was the same one, and in fact I suspect it would be. Those animals can get around pretty fast," said Gary Morse, spokesman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "How many monkeys have you seen in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties?"

Drew Harwell can be reached at dharwell@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4170.