Highland Wildlife Park on the hunt for escaped Japanese macaque two years after similar incident

Search efforts are ongoing to track down a monkey which escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park.

The Japanese macaque, known to keepers and visitors as Luka, escaped from his habitat within the park grounds near Kingussie overnight.

Search teams have now been dispatched to track the young macaque down.

He was reportedly last seen in the Balavil area of Newtonmore and keepers are keen to return him safely to his family.

It is not the first time that an incident like this has happened at Highland Wildlife Park.

In January 2024, Honshu, another Japanese macaque, escaped and spent several days exploring the surrounding area.

Drones were included in the search efforts for Honshu, with thermal-imaging drones now searching for Luka.

Honshu’s escape attracted widespread attention, with many photos online of him wandering the gardens of nearby town of Kincraig.

Following his capture, Honshu was transferred to Edinburgh Zoo.

At the time, it was believed Honshu had been forced out of his primate group, which could also be the case with Luka.

Darren McGarry, head of animal care at The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “We are doing everything we can to locate the macaque using a variety of techniques in the local area including a thermal imaging drone.

“Primate group dynamics can be very complex and males being forced out of a group is not uncommon.

“Although the macaque is not dangerous, our advice is members of the public should not approach him and to contact 07769165117 with any details of a sighting.”