SINGAPORE – In order to avoid confrontation following a change in social dynamics within his troop, a 14-year-old male African monkey opted to flee from the group at the Singapore Zoo in April.

       The black-and-white colobus, named Mykel, leveraged a connecting pole and managed to cross the perimeter fence at the Primate Kingdom exhibit at the zoo, a Mandai Wildlife Group spokesperson said on Nov 1.

       The group had initiated search operations after Mykel was separated from his troop, but the primate was recaptured and returned to the zoo only on Nov 1 after he was spotted at Villa Verde Park in Choa Chu Kang, about 3km away, a day earlier.

       Mykel’s escape route at the perimeter fence has been rectified to prevent recurrence, said the Mandai spokesperson.

       “We have also since stabilised the social grouping to ensure cohesion among the troop members, enhancing the overall well-being of the animals. Our animal care staff have also received additional training to recognise early signs of social changes and to intervene as necessary,” the spokesperson added.

       Mykel was first seen on Oct 31 by a member of the public, who called the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) rescue hotline, said an Acres spokesperson. Acres alerted Mandai Wildlife Group, which then deployed its animal care and veterinary team on the same day in an attempt to recapture the monkey.

       The rescuers, which included personnel from Mandai Wildlife Group and National Parks Board (NParks), worked to retrieve the primate until sunset, but were unable to. Efforts continued on Nov 1.

       When The Straits Times arrived at Villa Verde Park at about 11.15am on Nov 1, several people – some donning NParks vests, others wearing Mandai Wildlife Group shirts – were seen there. A man was also seen with a long-barrelled dart gun.

       A crane arrived at around 1.30pm, and about 10 minutes later, one of the rescuers utilised it to get closer to Mykel in the trees, before hitting him with a tranquiliser dart. About five minutes later, the monkey fell into a net that had been set up below.

       He was then put in a crate, which was loaded onto a van that bore the name of Mandai’s Wildlife Healthcare and Research Centre.

       Mykel will undergo a health check when brought back to the zoo, the Mandai Wildlife Group spokesperson said, adding that the animal appears healthy and in good physical condition.

       According to the Singapore Zoo’s website, the black-and-white colobus – known for its distinctive U-shaped mantle of long white fur that descends from its shoulders and around its back – is native to rainforests and open woodlands in Central and East Africa.

       Born completely with white fur, the monkey will develop black and white fur as it grows, allowing it to camouflage itself in forest canopies.

       It can leap up to 15m and seldom descends to the ground.

       According to the African Wildlife Foundation’s website, the monkey can grow up to 75cm and 14kg. Mykel weighs 11kg, said Mandai Wildlife Group’s spokesperson, who did not say what is the length of the primate.

       The black-and-white colobus is classified as “least concerned” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

       Other wild animals have been spotted in Singapore – in some cases in the heartland – in recent years.

       In 2023, a rare silvered langur was spotted “zoning out” in Clementi Woods Park. This was the first such sighting of the animal here.

       That same year, a Malayan tapir was spotted at the Punggol Park Connector. The mammal most likely swam here from Malaysia, said a spokesman for Acres.

       In 2019, three dusky langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus), a species native to Malaysia but not Singapore, were seen in Woodlands, before they were spotted a year later in Thomson Nature Park.