In St. Louis, a gang of highly intelligent primates is outsmarting wildlife control and the police (1 photo + 2 videos)
The city is facing a unique situation: aggressive vervet monkeys (also known as pygmy green monkeys) are taking over the streets, and authorities are baffled, admitting they have no idea where these professional escapees came from in their concrete jungle. 
According to local station KSDK, a gang of vervet monkeys—African monkeys known for their intelligence and bad temper—has been prowling the city since Thursday. Justin Hauser, head of the Environmental Health Bureau, confirmed: "This is the first time in the city's history that monkeys are wandering aimlessly through the streets."
The primates have proven to be "incredibly smart" and have been eluding traps for several days. The situation resembles a detective story: the zoo swears all its monkeys are locked up, there are no legal breeders in the city, and a gang of several illegal tailed immigrants is roaming the streets, clearly taunting the police. Authorities still can't confirm the exact number of escapees. Initially, four were rumored, but the monkeys proved to be masters of disguise, so an exact count is not yet possible.
These "furry bandits" turn into biting furies under stress. Police are urging residents not to play hero and not to try to tame the primates; their intelligence clearly exceeds the expectations of wildlife control. It seems some underground collector couldn't handle his "intellectual pet," and now all of North St. Louis is playing Jumanji in real time.
