Scotland's 'most famous monkey' is leaving the Highlands

Honshu is being moved to Edinburgh Zoo along with three other monkeys

Author: Liam RossPublished 29th Feb 2024

A Japanese Macaque who hit the headlines after escaping the Highland Wildlife Park is heading to the Scottish capital.

Honshu attracted worldwide attention when he fled his enclosure in Kincraig last month.

This sparked a major search operation spanning more than four days.

After several sightings in the gardens of nearby residents, and even pinching nuts from birdfeeders, he was re-captured in the nearby village of Insh.

He's now being moved to Edinburgh Zoo along with three other male monkeys.

New 'mini-troop' created for Honshu

Staff at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), say seven-year-old Honshu is leaving the Cairngorms to give him a fresh start after his time on the run.

Head of Living Collections at RZSS, Darren McGarry said: "Primate group dynamics can be very complex, especially in a situation like this where an individual is separated from the troop for an extended period of time.

"Honshu is also of the age when macaques disperse or move away, so it would have been very difficult to reintroduce him to his wider family.

"Instead, we want to create a new, mini-troop for him, comprised of three other male macaques of similar age – just like with our giraffes.

"Thankfully they have settled in well together at the park and are now being moved to their new home at the zoo."

Highland Wildlife Park Living Collections Operations Manager, Keith Gilchrist added: "We were amazed by the level of interest in Honshu’s escape from across the globe but our only priority throughout the process was to secure his safe return.

"I’m glad to say that thanks largely to the expertise of the team involved in his recapture, as well as a groundswell of support from the local community, we were able to do just that.

"Now it’s time for Honshu’s next chapter."

A map of Honshu's predicated route after he fled the Highland Widlife Park

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