GROVELAND, Fla. – No, this isn’t “Jumanji.”
But, Naxel Miranda sure thought it might be.
The 31-year-old shared video on his Miranda’s Kitchen YouTube page of a monkey near South Lake High School that he recorded Friday as he was picking up his daughter.
“When I first saw it, I thought it was a pet (animal),” he said. “Then, I saw it was a monkey.”
Miranda described it as “like a movie, like ‘Jumanji.’” He said he’s heard rumors of two monkeys on the loose in the neighborhood, although the video only shows one.
He said this was his first time seeing a monkey in the area.
“What I’m worried about is my daughter goes to that school and if she is walking on the sidewalk, what if she’s attacked? ... They carry a lot of disease,” he said.
It’s not known where the monkey came from.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that based on “the coloration, body shape, face shape, and nearness to an established population,” the monkey appears to be a rhesus macaque.
FWC said these monkeys were originally brought to Florida by the manager of a glass-bottom boat operation, who released six on an island in the Silver River to attract tourists. However, the monkeys swam away from the island into the surrounding forest, breeding and increasing their numbers over the years.
“Monkeys are not native to Florida, and wild populations may have negative impacts on native wildlife, ecosystems and agriculture. They can also carry diseases that can potentially be spread to humans to include rabies and herpes B. If you encounter wild monkeys in Florida, it is important to keep a safe distance and never feed wild monkeys,” an FWC spokesperson said.
If you see a monkey near people or acting aggressively, you can report it to FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
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