CINCINNATI – At least two 911 calls reported monkeys were roaming free in a cemetery overnight, but police had yet to find them by Thursday afternoon.
The report may have been misinformation, but Cincinnati Police Sgt. Jacob Hicks said Thursday morning they are taking it seriously. No officer reported seeing the monkeys at Saint-Joseph cemetery.
Stephen Bittner, president of the Cincinnati Catholic Cemetery Society, which owns the cemetery, said he checked security cameras but saw no activity.
The cemetery has a flock of wild turkeys, he added.
“Wild turkeys nest in trees,” he said. “So the question is, ‘Were they nesting in the trees,’ because anyone who filmed and posted (the video) on social media she can see the power lines in the video. “
The video circulating on Facebook shows three dark bodies in the trees, but it is too dark to tell what they were.
Bruce VanHook, who runs the cemetery, was there at 6:30 a.m.
“Between him and me, we’ve been patrolling for probably the last two hours and we can’t see anything that looks like a monkey,” Bittner said.
The cemetery property borders private woods that stretch for about half a mile, he said.
At least two calls were made to Cincinnati police on Wednesday evening about the reported monkeys, but dispatchers were unable to contact the callers, police said.
Officers first responded to the west side of town around 10 p.m. Wednesday after residents reported seeing monkeys swinging from trees at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, according to Fox 19.
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden Spokeswoman Michelle Curley told The Enquirer, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that the zoo is ready to respond if necessary.
“We are assessing the situation to see if there is anything we can do to help the Cincinnati Police Department,” said Curley.
Police said no one who claimed to own monkeys had made a report. Earlier, FOX19 said police believed the monkeys may have escaped from a house.
The Ohio Exotic Animals Act, enacted in 2012, banned private owners from acquiring, selling and breeding restricted species in Ohio, according to the Columbus Dispatch, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. .
The shortlist includes lions, tigers, bears, elephants, some monkeys, rhinos, alligators, crocodiles, anacondas and pythons over 12 feet, some vipers and all poisonous snakes.
Owners who have registered the animals they own – and who meet the caging and care standards set out in the law – can keep their animals for as long as they live. But they cannot buy new ones or raise the ones they own.
Residents of Ohio are allowed to own marmosets, capuchins, lemurs and squirrel monkeys, according to the Department of Agriculture. Other species are considered dangerous wild animals in Ohio.
