Monkey returns to Scottish wildlife park 'of his own accord' after escape

Luka, a young male Japanese macaque who has escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park (Image: Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)/PA Wire)

UPDATE: The monkey has now returned to the park "of his own accord", keepers have said.

A MONKEY is on the loose in the Highlands after escaping from a wildlife park.

The Japanese macaque, called Luka, escaped from his habitat at the Highland Wildlife Park, near Kingussie, overnight on Sunday.

Teams have now been dispatched to track him down, using thermal-imaging drones to speed up the search.

Luka was reportedly last seen in the Balavil area of Newtonmore.

This is not the first time a macaque has escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park, which is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

In 2024, seven-year-old Honshu escaped and spent several days on the run, attracting widespread attention.

Honshu the Japanese macaque (Image: RZSS)

After he was captured, he was transferred to Edinburgh Zoo along with three other macaques with the hopes he would settle in better with another primate group.

Keepers believed that Honshu had been forced out of his group, which could also be the case with Luka.

Darren McGarry, head of animal care at RZSS, said: “We are doing everything we can to locate the macaque using a variety of techniques in the local area including a thermal imaging drone.

“Primate group dynamics can be very complex and males being forced out of a group is not uncommon.

“Although the macaque is not dangerous, our advice is members of the public should not approach him and to contact 07769 165117 with any details of a sighting.”