By Salma Dhalla
Herald Intern
Katie Cowan said she first noticed the animal outside her home in Longwood on the morning of Monday, May 25 and was shocked by what she saw. She first thought that it might have been another type of wild animal, but she quickly realized it was actually a monkey.
Cowan talked about how she first noticed this unusual animal in her backyard. “I was just drinking my morning coffee and looking out the window and that’s when I saw it. It was an unusual size and color for the normal animals we see,” she said. “I thought initially maybe it was a bobcat,” Cowan emphasizes, but upon further inspection she confirmed it was indeed a monkey.
After spotting the monkey, Cowan contacted Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to report the sighting.
“I have never had to call [the FWC],” Cowan said. “I just knew of their existence and I thought a monkey is not normal, I should go ahead and call.” Cowan’s next door neighbor also saw the odd animal and had the same idea to call the FWC. They notified her neighbor that they believed the monkey was from the “Silver Springs group” and advised her not to “go near or feed” the monkey. The spotted rhesus macaque is a species that has occasionally been seen in parts of Central Florida over the years. While sightings are rare, experts say some monkeys still live in the state after being introduced in Florida in the 1930’s.
Seeing a monkey in a local neighborhood is not something most Florida residents expect, so the sighting quickly caught people’s attention online and around the community. Cowan said she was humored by some of the comments individuals were leaving on social media. Many online were shocked that it was Cowan’s first time spotting this animal. The Florida Native however has never come across a monkey in her 10 years living in her Longwood home.
What started as an ordinary day for Longwood residents like Cowan, quickly turned into an unforgettable encounter, leaving individuals surprised that a monkey could show up right in their own neighborhood.
