Monkey spotted stealing nuts after escaping Highlands zoo

A monkey has broken loose from a Highlands zoo, with staff urging the public not to approach it.

Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie confirmed on Facebook that one of its Japanese macaques had escaped its enclosure on Sunday morning.

"Our charity has set up a team who are working to secure the monkey safely and as quickly as possible," said Darren McGarry, head of living collections at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

"If members of the public encounter the macaque they should contact comms@rzss.org.uk with more information and do not approach it."

The monkey was spotted sitting on a garden fence and taking nuts from a bird feeder in the nearby village of Kincraig.

Carl Nagle, a local man who saw the monkey, told Sky News: "I got up and went to the patio window and there it was, a juvenile Japanese snow monkey that we've seen many times at the wildlife park, sitting next to my fence eating nuts that have fallen from my bird feeders."

He added: "It wandered back and forth and ran around the garden a little before returning to have a good go at another feeder.

"Then he made his way onto the roof of an outdoor sauna before disappearing into the trees, just before the keepers appeared to try and catch him."

Japanese macaques, also known as the snow monkey, are the most northerly living non-human primate, according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

It notes on its website that there is "a large group" of 34 primates at Highland Wildlife Park and it has had "great success" breeding the species.