Monkey in the middle of police pursuit

BATH COUNTY, Ky. - A long-tailed macaque led state and local police and Kentucky Fish & Wildlife officers on a wild goose...er, monkey chase...before it was captured after two days on the lam (or should that be monkey, too?).

According to CBS affiliate WKYT, around 11 a.m. Wednesday, wildlife officials were able to shoot the macaque with a tranquilizer to get it down from a tree.

Investigators think the animal was brought into the state illegally, the station says, but they don't know who owns him. April Truitt, the founder of the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville said the macaque was probably someone's pet.

One of the neighbors who tried to catch the monkey said the owners live nearby and told her that they were cleaning out the animal's cage on Monday when it escaped.

Truitt said people in the area told officials they had seen the monkey roaming around for a while, and that it will have a new home at the rescue center.

One viewer sent WKYT a picture of the macaque after it climbed into someone's car. The story making the rounds is that it was running from a dog. The macaque later escaped the vehicle for further adventures, the station says.

According to authorities, whoever possessed the monkey was doing so illegally and could be slapped with a fine if they're caught.