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DEEP: Investigation into Old Saybrook Monkey Ongoing

July got off to an interesting start for an Old Saybrook resident when a monkey was discovered hiding in his shed. An investigation by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is ongoing.

While a visit to the Monkey Farm Restaurant isn’t out of the norm for Old Saybrook residents, finding real-life money certainly is. But that’s exactly what happened on July 1 when Dan O’Connell was putting away some tools in his shed and noticed an unusual guest.

“I’m walking out and this thing is looking at me like, ‘what are you doing here?’ you know, and I said, ‘well, what are you doing here?’ and I said, ‘well, I’m getting out of here,’” O’Connell told NBC Connecticut.

DEEP, Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police and the Old Saybrook Police Department responded to capture the monkey, which was later identified as belonging to the marmoset variety of monkeys. The owner of the monkey, who has not been identified, arrived on hand to assist with the capture.

Ethan Van Ness, the acting media relations manager for DEEP, told the Harbor News the monkey was relocated.

“The monkey cannot be possessed in Connecticut, per CT regulation 26-55-6(iii). The monkey was seized and relocated. No injuries [were] reported. The incident is under investigation by DEEP EnCon Police,” Van Ness told the Harbor News in an email.

There are over 20 different species of marmoset monkey. A native of South America, the monkeys are typically quite small. According to the United Kingdom based Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,” Marmoset monkeys are the most commonly kept and traded species of primate. “ However, due to their specific needs, their long life span, and their social disposition it is not recommended to keep them as a pet and many locations around the world are campaigning to make them illegal in the pet trade.