--- title: "Escaped Monkey Hunted With Drone" description: "The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has recaptured the escaped Japanese macaque on the lam in the Scottish Highlands." date: "2024-02-01" modified: "2024-02-01" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/escaped-monkey-hunted-drone" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "monkeys" - "primates" - "the digest" - "zoos" --- # Escaped Monkey Hunted With Drone ![The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has recaptured the escaped Japanese macaque on the lam in the Scottish Highlands.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Foiled By Birdseed The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has [recaptured]() the escaped Japanese macaque that led authorities on a high-profile chase for nearly five days. The macaque in question escaped its enclosure at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park zoo on Sunday, prompting a frenzied search throughout the region. Japanese macaques, of course, aren't exactly Scottish locals; the event has reportedly been quite the ordeal for the area, especially considering how deft the monkey proved at evading recapture. "You would think we were chasing an international fugitive," area local Carl Nagle, who caught sight of the macaque on Sunday night as it chomped down on the Scotsman's backyard birdseed, [told *The New York Times*]() earlier this week, "instead of an innocent monkey." Per [the *BBC*](), a local mountain rescue team — which usually tracks down missing human hikers — eventually pitched in, deploying its rescue drones to aid the monkey recovery mission. But even with the added aerial assistance, the RZSS had a tough time. At one point, a drone held a view of the monkey for about 45 minutes, and yet capture efforts were still unsuccessful. Alas, [according to the RZSS](), the young male monkey's multiple-day tour of the Scottish Highlands is officially over. In a statement, the RZSS says it finally caught up with the critter after receiving a tip that the monkey was once again chowing down on some backyard birdseed. The RZSS and its "drone team" closed on the snacking primate, which was swiftly tranquilized and brought back to its keep. "We can confirm," reads the RZSS's triumphant statement, that "we have successfully caught the macaque that escaped from the park on Sunday." ## Pacifist Icon Per the *NYT*, macaques are quite intelligent and, though Scottish locals were told not to approach the animal, generally aren't seen as a threat to humans. But while the risk of macaque-to-human violence is low, macaques will get into tussles with one another — and according to zookeepers, that might just be why the recaptured monkey went on the lam to begin with. It's breeding season for the macaques, and as the RZSS' Keith Gilchrist [told the *BBC*]() on Monday, "tensions" during the mating season "run a little bit high." Fights often break out as a result, and it's believed that this young pacifist king just wanted to avoid a brawl. And though his Highland vacation may have come to an end, the macaque certainly seems to have left his mark on the sleepy Scottish region. "It looked at me," Nagle, recounting his birdseed-fueled interaction with the monkey, told the *NYT.* "I looked at him." The moment was "shocking and wonderful all at once," he added. **More on animal escape artists:** [*Pandemonium as Horse Escapes on Boeing 747 Mid-Flight*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()