Monkey business in Nasr City: Residents chase 18 monkeys escaped from vet hospital

A group of monkeys escaped from a veterinary hospital in Cairo’s eastern district of Nasr City on Wednesday, leading residents to chase after them in attempt to capture them.

According to local media outlets, it is estimated that 18 monkeys escaped from their enclosures at the hospital. Other sources put the number of escaped monkeys at 14. Photos reveal these monkeys perched in trees, and on windowsills.

The presence of these monkeys has reportedly disturbed numerous residents of Nasr City, with some claiming that the animals are wreaking havoc in their gardens.

Some residents have sought to capture and return these monkeys to the veterinary hospital, while others are reportedly attempting to poison them.

The escaped monkeys have caught public attention, with some users on social networking sites proposing means of capturing or caging them without resorting to poison or other lethal methods.

One Twitter user from Nasr City commented: “We have enough street dogs here as it is … Now we also have street monkeys.”

Another Twitter account requested that "if anybody captures one of these monkeys, I would like to keep it. I’ve always wanted a monkey.”

As of Wednesday evening, none of the monkeys had yet been captured alive.

The hospital did not post any news of the monkey breakout on its Facebook page, nor were any vets available for a phone interview.

It is not known what these monkeys were being treated for, or if they were merely undergoing regular checkups.

One Twitter user commented, “In one day we have a destructive fire at the Cairo International Conference Center in Nasr City, along with the escape of numerous monkeys onto the streets?” while another user asked, "What is Nasr City coming to?"