A Monkey Escaped Its Crate and Ran Around the San Antonio Airport for 2 Hours

A monkey escaped its crate at San Antonio airport on Monday, running around the airport as authorities chased it for almost two hours.

CBS News reported that authorities from American Airlines, the San Antonio Aviation Department, and the San Antonio Zoo were finally able to corner the renegade monkey, who was tranquilized and captured.

The rhesus macaque, whose name is Dawkins, was from Brown University and was retiring from his career from research protocols. He left Boston on Monday morning and had successfully made a transfer flight in Chicago. He was on his way to retirement at a nearby sanctuary in Cotulla, Texas, when he escaped.

“The monkey was having a little bit of fun,” Russ Handy, aviation director for the city of San Antonio, told My San Antonio. “If you can visualize what a bag channeling system looks like, it’s a lot of belts and bars, it’s a little bit like a jungle. So, he’s having a pretty good time over there.”

While he was being transported to cargo, Dawkins finagled his way out of his crate.

“I can only imagine a monkey or baboon going around right now,” an airport employee told local CBS News. “I'm just glad we caught it and it's safe, but it was pretty hectic for us at the airport today.”

By Monday night, the monkey was safely at his new home.

No flights or passengers were affected by the runaway monkey.