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Jackson residents report baboon sightings


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Source: Asbury Park Press

 

Jackson residents report baboon sightings

Six Flags Great Adventure says it can't confirm if one is missing from park

 

9:42 PM, Jun. 30, 2011

 

JACKSON — Residents told police they spotted a baboon in two different locations here Thursday and the sightings touched off an afternoon hunt by police and Six Flags Great Adventure officials.

 

Police got a call at 2:10 p.m. that a baboon was sitting on the edge of the wood line on the east side of Interstate 195 near Exit 16, according to a statement by Capt. David Newman.

 

Police got a second call 20 minutes later from an Anderson Road resident who reported that a baboon was sitting on her back porch, he said.

 

Police were unable to locate the baboon, but because the sightings were in proximity to Monkey Jungle at Six Flags Great Adventure, the park officials were contacted.

 

Great Adventure spokeswoman Kristin Siebeneicher said the park sent out a response team to search for the baboon at about 2:30 p.m., but couldn’t find the animal. She said a veterinarian, the safari manager and security went to look for the baboon.

 

“They were out there looking for several hours trying to verify the authenticity of the calls’’ she said. “They were really looking for any clues like paw prints or tracks. But they didn’t find any of the signs a baboon had been around.’’

 

She said the search continued in the areas even after police left. She said the search was called off later in the day.

 

Siebeneicher said the fences around the Monkey Jungle were checked and there were no breaches. She said the park also added more hot wire to fence areas in response to the sighting today.

 

The park has a total of 150 baboons, she said. Each baboon is vaccinated and micro-chipped, she said.

 

However, the baboons are not counted each night because they sleep outside in Monkey Jungle, she said. She said there is no way to tell if one is missing.

 

The baboons are not aggressive and tend to stay away from people, the spokeswoman s aid.

 

Monmouth County SPCA Chief Buddy Amato said it is illegal to possess a baboon in New Jersey unless a person has an exotic animal license issued by the state Division of Fish Game and Wildlife.

 

He said some people go out of state where licenses aren’t required to purchase the animals.

 

“They bring them home when the animal is young and then when it gets older, they release it into the wild,’’ he said.

 

Police provided no description of the baboon or its direction of travel.

 

Newman said any baboon sightings should be called in to police and residents should not approach the baboon.

 

Siebeneicher said baboons are not typically aggressive and residents would not be in any danger.

 

“Eventually they just want to return to their group,’’ she said.

 

Anyone with information should call police at 732-928-1111.

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I was in NYC this week on vacation and was flying back here to Los Angeles today on Jetblue. They have TV monitors at every seat and they had a reporter from one of the TV stations in NYC down there in Jackson. As soon as I saw that, I figured one of the baboons escaped and I knew it just had to be GA.

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It's not a hoax, but there is some doubt as to whether it is one of the park's. It could be someone had a pet and it escaped and came to where there are more baboons, or they couldn't handle it any longer and set it loose near GA figuring it would just end up being with the others one way or another.

 

Remember when the tiger got loose and everyone thought it belonged to GA...

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Source: NY Daily News

 

Escaped New Jersey baboon captured in Howell, New Jersey, tranquilized

BY Jake Pearson

DAILY NEWS WRITER

 

Saturday, July 2nd 2011, 4:55 PM

 

 

 

alg_babboon_caught_nj.jpg

Baboon found on Fairfield Rd. in Howell, NJ on Saturday. It was tranqualized and put into a cage by a Six Flags Great Adventure official and a Howell Police Officer. East Freehold, NJ on Saturday.

 

The two-day search for an escaped baboon ended Saturday afternoon when the primate was tranquilized almost 20 miles away from his New Jersey residence.

 

Cops and a search crew from the Six Flags Great Adventure Monkey Jungle in Jackson fielded tips to track down the adolescent ape, who was picked up on Fairfield Road in Howell at 2:40 p.m., said Monkey Jungle spokeswoman Kristin Siebeneicher.

 

The footloose baboon was first spotted by a driver Thursday afternoon near Interstate 195.

 

Siebeneicher couldn't say for sure that the baboon came from Monkey Jungle, which is home to 150 baboons, but said yesterday it was "likely.

 

"We are conducting a thorough review of our facility and procedures, and will make any changes necessary so that our animals continue to remain inside the safari," she said.

 

All 150 baboons at Monkey Jungle are vaccinated, fenced in and implanted with microchips, she said.

 

The baboon - who was heading toward the Jersey Shore - will get full physical and health exams, Siebeneicher said.

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http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/07/02/missing-baboon-captured-in-howell-township-nj/

 

Missing Baboon Captured In Howell Township, NJ

July 2, 2011 4:16 PM

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(Credit: AFP, Getty Images)

 

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Baboon, Howell Township, NJ, Six Flags

TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A wayward baboon that apparently escaped from a southern New Jersey amusement park and became a mini-celebrity has been captured after spending three days on the lam.

 

1174973171.jpg?w=300The animal appeared to be unharmed when it was found and tranquilized Saturday afternoon in Howell Township. That’s not far from Six Flags Great Adventure’s Monkey Jungle in Jackson Township, which has about 150 baboons that are part of a drive-through safari.

 

Park officials confirmed the capture and say they believe the animal is theirs. But they won’t know for sure until it’s assessed and they can see if it has a microchip that’s embedded in all their baboons.

 

Numerous online followers tracked the baboon’s travels after it initially was spotted Thursday. Many posted on a tongue-in-cheek Twitter account created by a person posing as the baboon.

 

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Edited by The Master
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  • 3 years later...

They got out of the Safari area into the Maint and Fire Department and stable area behind the Arena back in the 70's rather frequently. The Park joke was they were stealing tools and fuel to build a helicopter so as to fly a whole group to freedom. If they could get into the theme park... and they did quite often. It would be no big challenge to get out onto private property.

 

Can any of you Safari Old Timers confirm any incidents of hunter/poachers shooting G A animals thru the fences with either firearms or archery. I recall some early morning motor patrols of the Safari fenceline in respnse to shots fired calls from the Safari folks. Did we ever actually have an incident occur ???

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Thanks for posting the supporting evidence.

1. It's nice to know that my memories of some of these events did actually happen.

2. It is also nice to know that someone other than me is reading my rather slow and error filled "Tales from the Past" !

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