Authorities are searching for a monkey that is roaming around Indianapolis, after reports it was seen drinking beer.
Officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) were called to the Irongate neighborhood on the city’s east side on Wednesday.
The IMPD posted on social media on Wednesday evening that officers were assisting Animal Care Services with a monkey “on the loose” near the 500 block of Ironridge Court, south of E. Washington Street and S. Mitthoefer Road.
“There are reports of minor injuries from the monkey but we can’t confirm it is from bites,” the police department said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Officers arrived in the neighborhood at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, but called off their search a couple of hours later, according to local news station WISH-TV.
One resident told police they saw the monkey drinking beer from a garbage can, the station reported.
In another post on X, police said the monkey, named Momo, was last seen in the 10000 block of Gate Dr.
“The exact time is not confirmed. Please do not approach him,” police added in the post.
It was not immediately clear where the monkey has escaped from.
A spokesperson for the police department told Newsweek early on Thursday that they did not have any further updates on the situation.
Newsweek has contacted Indianapolis Animal Care Services via email for further comment.
The incident comes weeks after parts of the Walt Disney World theme park in Florida were temporarily shuttered because of reports of a wild bear on the loose.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement that “in most cases, it is best for bears to be given space and to move along on their own, but given this situation, staff are working on capturing and relocating the bear.”
The agency added that bears were known to undertake broader searches for food in the fall as they prepare for hibernation.
“During the fall, bears are more active as they search for food to pack on fat reserves for the winter,” the wildlife commission statement said. “This particular bear was likely moving through the area searching for food.”
The bear, an adult female, was later captured by wildlife officers and taken to an area in or around the Ocala National Forest, north of Orlando.
Update 10/05/23, 7:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information. Update 10/05/23, 9:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with background information and a new headline.