DeBARY, Fla. – For the past seven years, Lee Young, who goes by the name Capt. Lee, has lived off the grid in the woods along the St. John's River.
He thought he had seen it all, until now. Recently, Lee spotted a monkey that appears to be a rhesus macaque. The monkey likes to hang in the trees and lie on the ground, which is covered with giant snail shells.
"He's about 30 pounds, has a reddish color over his back. He's a grayish color over his shoulders and white on his belly," Lee said.
According to Lee, the monkey is timid and only appears in the mornings and early evenings. Sadly, the monkey disappeared by the time News 6 arrived on Friday. But Lee shared several pictures of the monkey, whom he named George.
"I enjoy taking pictures of him. I'm going to leave him alone. He's on the other side of the canal from me," Lee said.
Lee believes George traveled alone from Silver Springs State Park.
"He was probably from another troop and then he got out and had been looking for another troop. He's looking for a girl. I'm sure that's what he's looking for," he said. "I know that he's an invasive species but he's not an aggressive animal."
Lee said he wants to keep his location a secret and doesn't want people to find George unless George wants to be found.
"Here's a new neighbor. I've seen millions of gators. I've seen millions of wading birds and everything else out here. So, to see a monkey, it's a real treat," he said.