For three hours, a Green Monkey, leaping from roof to roof and tree to tree in an urbanisation at Bela Vista in Parchal, was tempted with food by animal protection officers from the GNR to return the animal to safety from the wild.
Finally, the female monkey, said to be friendly and accustomed to humans, took the bait and a team from the Núcleo de Proteção Ambiental was able to capture it and hand it over to Lagos Zoo while its origin is being investigated.
It appeared to be in good health and well fed.
Keeping a Green Monkey in private captivity is illegal in Portugal and can carry heavy penalties, sometimes as much as €30,000.
This species of primate is vegetarian and is found in Senegal and Ethiopia, South Africa, and the region of the Red Sea.
