When a call comes into the emergency hotline, first responders are quick to check things out.
A 911 call recently came into the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office in California. When a dispatcher picked up the call, the line was quiet, then went dead. They called the number back, but no one answered. Deputies were duty-bound to investigate, so they traced the call and headed over to the local zoo to make sure everyone was okay.
When they arrived at Conservation Ambassadors, known as Zoo to You, they discovered that no one there had placed the 911 call.
“Our Deputies have seen their fair share of ‘monkey business’ in the County,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “But nothing quite like this.”
“No one there had placed the call,” they continued. “Was someone trying to make us look like a monkey’s uncle?”
That’s when they figured it out – the call was placed by a baby capuchin monkey named Route!
Deputies and Zoo To You owner Lisa Jackson soon pieced together the scene of the crime. Route often accompanies Lisa as she drives a golf cart around the 40-acre property. The smart little primate has seen Lisa use a cell phone thousands of times, so when she got a chance to try it herself, she pounced!
“Capuchin monkeys are amazing,” Lisa told AP News. “They’re tool-users, they’re so smart. She’s got thumbs, and she’s got more than enough ability. She sees me all the time texting and playing with the phone. So I think that’s pretty much what she did.”
Don’t worry, no charges will be filed against this curious little cutie! Her errant call was deemed a happy accident, especially after the Sheriff’s department shared photos of Route on their social media pages. Hundreds of people commented and shared the story, making Route a bona fide celebrity.
“As you can tell from these photos, Route is a little embarrassed by the whole thing,” the Sheriff’s office concluded. “But you can’t really blame her, after all monkey see, monkey do.”
Zoo To You used media attention to remind people that no matter how cute they are, capuchin monkeys don’t make good pets. We don’t know, though… seems like every day would be an adventure with these lively little critters around!
Share this story to thank this naughty monkey for giving us all a good laugh.
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