Was it a longing for freedom, for friends or for snacks that pushed the monkey to make his daring getaway? He has evaded the hands of animal keepers who have been chasing him since Sunday, when he escaped from an enclosure in the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie, Scotland, and fled into the Scottish highlands. Park officials have brought in thermal drones to help them search for the animal and have asked residents to report sightings. The monkey’s life on the lam has brought a whirlwind of media attention to the relatively remote communities of Kingussie and Kincraig (combined population: about 1,500 humans). Amused residents, who have given the animal the nickname “Kingussie Kong,” have found themselves invested in its fate, and journalists have followed animal keepers as they have swept the hills.

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Persons: Kingussie Organizations: Wildlife Locations: Kingussie, Scotland, Scottish, Kingussie Kong