Wandering baboon captured in New Jersey

HOWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A wayward baboon that apparently escaped from a southern New Jersey amusement park and became a mini-celebrity has been captured after spending three days on the lam.

The animal appeared to be unharmed when it was found and tranquilized Saturday afternoon in Howell Township. That's not far from Six Flags Great Adventure's Monkey Jungle in Jackson Township, which has about 150 baboons that are part of a drive-through safari.

Park officials confirmed the capture and say they believe the animal is theirs. But they won't know for sure until it's assessed and they can see if it has a microchip that's embedded in all their baboons.

"We can't say for sure where the baboon came from, but we are probably certain that it is ours," Kristen Siebeneicher, the park's communications director, told CBS New York on Friday night.

She said all Great Adventure baboons are vaccinated, fenced in and implanted with microchips.

Numerous online followers tracked the baboon's travels after it initially was spotted Thursday. Many posted on a tongue-in-cheek Twitter account created by a person posing as the baboon.