NEWS - SQUIRREL MONKEY 'BANANA SAM' BACK AT SF ZOO

Squirrel monkey Banana Sam back at SF Zoo

 

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, January 2, 2012

Banana-Sam was resting comfortably behind the scenes at the San Francisco Zoo on Sunday, with staffers keeping close tabs on the squirrel monkey after his weekend kidnapping ordeal.
The 17-year-old primate spent New Year's Day recuperating out of the public eye after a nearly 40-hour adventure that began with his abduction late Thursday or early Friday.
The 2-pound creature was shaking, hungry and cold when police returned him to the zoo Saturday evening, but he was relatively clean and with no obvious trauma, said Danny Latham, a zoo spokesman.
"We have no idea the conditions in which he was kept," he said.
Latham said it was unclear when Banana-Sam would return to his exhibit with his 17 squirrel monkey friends.
"We hope very, very soon," he said. "I'm sure people will want to come and see him."
Banana-Sam gained worldwide fame as his abduction spread around the globe. A Twitter account that someone opened in his name, @SF_BananaSam, had more than 2,000 followers, with posts detailing his alleged exploits throughout the city.
A trip to the monkey bars in Golden Gate Park was apparently disappointing.
"I was never cut out for life on the outside," read one post following his return. "3 hots and a cot for me!"
On Sunday, police continued to investigate the case. They said a visitor to Stern Grove in the Sunset District found the monkey and coaxed him into a backpack Saturday evening.
A $5,000 reward for the monkey's safe return had not yet been paid out, Latham said.
The kidnappers apparently knew where they were going and what they were doing. They climbed on a roof to cut through netting to nab Banana-Sam, making off with the animal despite guards and security cameras.
"Regardless of how many feet or eyes you have, if someone is willing to do something, they're going to find a way to do it," Latham said.
Still, the zoo has beefed up security on the graveyard shift since the incident.
"We're just happy that it turned out the way it did," Latham said. "It's a very happy story."

NEWS - SECURITY PATROLS AT SF ZOO DOUBLED AFTER THEFT OF MONKEY 'BANANA SAM'

Security patrols at SF Zoo doubled after theft of monkey ‘Banana Sam’

By Associated Press, Updated: Saturday, December 31, 

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Zoo officials are stepping up security after a male squirrel monkey was stolen from an exhibit.
Two security guards were patrolling the 100-acre zoo on Thursday night when the monkey named Banana Sam was apparently taken.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/rUqmH5) that security has been doubled this holiday weekend in case the thieves try to return.
The zoo’s remaining 17 squirrel monkeys are also now being kept indoors.
Banana Sam was taken after thieves cut through a back perimeter gate and then made two holes into the mesh surrounding the monkey exhibit. A $5,000 reward has been offered for the monkey’s safe return.
The zoo has had animal thefts before. Two teenagers were arrested 11 years ago on suspicion of stealing koalas to impress their girlfriends.