THREE young monkeys at Dublin Zoo made a daring bid for freedom after escaping from their enclosure during Storm Ophelia.
The winds during the storm last October ripped away a roof section of the enclosure housing the Sulawesi crested macaques.
Seizing the opportunity, three juvenile monkeys jumped from a climbing frame in their habitat onto an electric fence overhang.
According to the Irish Times, the trio then had the run of the zoo grounds, before their absence was noted when a zoo worker checked their enclosure.
An incident report released under a Freedom of Information Act explained how an emergency team then swung into action.
They found the monkeys in a tree, 65ft in the air, but their attempts to shoot them with tranquilizer darts were foiled by the strong winds.
Instead they had to play a waiting game, eventually capturing one of the monkeys with a net two hours later after he ventured down from the tree.
His two accomplices were later tranquilised, while all three escapees were checked over by a vet before being returned to their enclosure.
Keepers said the electric fence overhang had been working perfectly that morning when it was checked. The monkey's climbing frame has since been lowered.
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