Officials are warning Mount Dora, Florida, residents to stay away from monkeys after multiple sightings in the area. Seriously.
“We have received reports of monkey sightings within the city. While seeing a monkey may be unusual, please remember they are wild, feral animals and should be admired from a safe distance,” the City of Mount Dora wrote on social media this week.
The city added, “If you encounter the monkey, give it plenty of space and allow it to move through the area on its own.”
The Mount Dora Police Department also issued a monkey warning
“A rhesus macaque made an unexpected appearance at Lakeside Inn today, drawing plenty of attention from visitors and residents alike,” the police department wrote on Facebook. “The monkey, believed to have originated from the Silver Springs area, was observed on the grounds of the historic hotel along Lake Dora.
“While it’s certainly an unusual sight, officials remind everyone to keep a safe distance. Wild monkeys can carry diseases and should never be approached, touched, or fed.”
Animal Control Officer Gerry Hodge also issued his own warning
“There were a couple posts on Facebook about how to feed these monkeys and stuff like that,” Hodge told WESH News. “And what they need to do if they’re confronted with one, they need to just back away, let the monkey go on about its way. They don’t need to try to feed, touch, try to pet it or anything like that.”
Residents have spotted the monkeys in multiple locations in the city. One resident spotted a monkey at the Forest Preserve, a wooded area behind the Mount Dora Public Library. Last month, someone also spotted one in Gilbert Park.
Resident Priscilla Spears said she saw a monkey just last week while driving near a shopping plaza in Mount Dora.
“You don’t think you’re going to see a monkey just driving down the road, you know?” Spears told WESH News. “I was like, ‘Who would have their dog out on a busy road?’ And as I got closer, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a monkey.'”
According to UPI, Mount Dora is home to a wild colony of monkeys that have resided for decades about 12 miles away in Silver Springs. They have been there since a tour boat operator transported them to an island that is now a part of Silver Springs State Park in 1938. The rhesus macaques swiftly left the island because the operator was ignorant of their ability to swim.