Several members of a troop of critically endangered monkeys remain on the run in a forest two days after they escaped when a visitor allegedly damaged the electric fence around their enclosure.

Despite the missing primates still being on the run, Decin Zoo in the Usti nad Labem Region, in the Czech Republic has now opened again. They said a troop of nine Celebes crested macaques had freed themselves and made a daring escape on Monday evening, 12th June.

The audacious breakout happened after an unidentified intruder, who was meanwhile arrested by the police, damaged an electric fence surrounding one of the zoo’s enclosures.

After his arrest, he told cops that he damaged the security system after he tried to shake hands with one of the monkeys, but ended up electrocuted by the fence. He had then been angry at the shock, and had damaged the fence, thus enabling the monkeys to flee.

Following the incident, zoo officials announced the temporary closure of the facility in order to ensure the safety of both the fugitive primates and the visitors.

The precautionary action aimed to trigger the possible return of the monkeys back to their familiar surroundings.

However, despite zookeepers having managed to recapture three of the fugitive primates, the rest still remain at large, claimed authorities.

Decin Zoo spokesperson Alena Houskova said in a statement obtained by CEN on Tuesday (13th June): “The entire troop of Celebes crested macaque escaped due to the fault of an uninvited visitor who damaged the electric fence at one of the enclosures yesterday evening.

“Some monkeys remained in the zoo area, but others are already moving around it.

“In case you spot monkeys, do not under any circumstances try to catch them yourself and inform us immediately about their whereabouts.”

Celebes crested macaques, also known as crested black macaque or black apes, are native to the Indonesian rain forests.

The species are listed as ‘critically endangered’ on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Another zoo spokesperson said: “The six monkeys that escaped from the zoo are male and female animals up to 10 years old, including a baby monkey and a primate about a year old.”

Zoo director R. Heiko Drechsler, 60, from the Animal park in Meissner, Hesse State, Germany, alerted: “I suspect that the monkey group that ran away is retreating to the forests of Saxon Switzerland.

“These animals are very intelligent and very difficult to capture. They are now taking the opportunity of a new freedom.

“These omnivores, which can be up to 57 centimetres [22 inches] tall and weigh 13 kilogrammes [28 lbs], can survive for a long time with what they find in nature.

“This includes green fodder such as dandelions and sorrel, but also eggs and young birds.

“Once the group has been located, they can catch them with food traps and anaesthetic guns.”

Zoo authorities urged individuals not to approach the potentially dangerous monkeys which they claimed may show signs of stress, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior.