Germany: Endangered Barbary macaque escapes wildlife park

A macaque remained on the loose in southern Germany on Saturday.

The Barbary macaque, also known as a Barbary ape, escaped from the Salem Monkey Mountain wildlife park in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and park manager Roland Hilgartner said he suspects the animal managed to jump from tree to tree in order to get out.

"If they're a bit sporty, they can jump over there," he said.

Never been this far away from home

The animal, which is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List as it is in danger of becoming extinct, was last spotted on Friday morning on a roadside near the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, some 3.5 kilometers (2.17 miles) from the wildlife park.

"No animal has ever been this far away" from the wildlife park, said Hilgartner, who has worked at Salem Monkey Mountain for 17 years.

The enclosure fence is designed in such a way that it is very difficult for the animals to get outside but they can climb back more easily into the enclosure. Hilsgartner said it is common for macaques who escape to eventually return.

"The pressure to be with the group, in familiar surroundings, is great," he said.

However, he believes the macaque could survive well outside the wildlife park, at least for the time being, as animal keepers only need to feed the animal that traditionally lives in the mountain regions of Morocco and Algeria during the winter.

There is plenty of plant food and the animals also eat insects, he said, before adding "they might even find an apple or two in the orchards."

Fewer than 8,000 macaques left

On Friday, the police and Monkey Mountain staff tried to lure the young animal from a tree, with the incentive of food, but the primate fled into a larger wooded area.

"The number of Barbary macaques living in the wild is estimated to be less than 8000. Affenberg Salem (Monkey Mountain) is committed to protect Barbary macaques," the wildlife park's website states.

The park is located near Lake Constance in southern Germany and the macaques "feel really comfortable and spend the whole year outside. They move freely and maintain their natural behavior. Here, almost 200 Barbary macaques live on a 50-acre wooded area. The babies are born from spring onwards," the website adds.

Material from German news agency DPA was used in the writing of this article.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery