Missing chimp-at-sea: monkey runs loose on ship bound for Fremantle
A container ship on its way into Fremantle port has gained a new first mate - more precisely, a new first primate.
A macaque monkey has found its way onto a container ship bound for Fremantle and is now causing a ruckus for port authorities with shipping and biosecurity workers going bananas.
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water said the department was aware of the monkey loose on the ship.
“The ship has not been able to determine where the monkey embarked, but it is believed to be from South-East Asia,” they said.
A Fremantle Port spokeswoman also confirmed the ship was being held in Gage Roads until it was cleared for entry.
“This is a very unusual event,” she said, in what may be the understatement of the year.
While it is unclear how the monkey got aboard it is believed to have come from a stop on the ship’s route.
Under Australia’s strict biosecurity laws the ship will not be allowed to dock until the monkey has been caught.
The department’s risk review on non-human primates, including macaque monkeys, said they could carry ebola, hepatitis B, rabies, tuberculosis, zika virus, and a host of parasites including hookworm.
Perth Zoo’s veterinarians are reportedly working with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to trap, sedate and most likely euthanise the monkey.
A zoo spokesman said wild monkeys from unknown international ports posed a significant risk to biosecurity.
“The Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is working with our colleagues at the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and with vets from the Perth Zoo to manage the associated risks,” he said.
“The government’s first and foremost consideration needs to be protecting Australia’s human and animal health.”
In some circumstances, animals arriving unexpectedly in Australia can be quarantined and released to a zoo, but the monkey’s unknown origin, and the large number of biosecurity risks, means that is not an option.