Four Barbary macaques made a break for it on Saturday morning when they escaped from Munkholm Zoo near the town of Grenaa in Jutland at 10 am. The primates, who sought refuge in a nearby forest, remain at large.

Monkey business
The outlaws, who escaped through a hole in some rotten wood, have so far proven hard to track down.

“They are just 200 metres away – but as soon as we get close to them, they run out of sight,” Anne Lise Johansen, one of the owners of the zoo, told Politiken.

On Sunday morning, zoo officials announced plans to tempt them down from their treetop hideouts using treats. Veterinarians stood at the ready with tranquilizer guns.

But the tactic failed – the macaques were smart enough to stay out of sight when they spotted zoo officials and only came down to eat the food when no-one was present.

“As soon as they see something they are not used to seeing, they disappear,” said Johansen.

The zoo is now considering lacing the treats themselves with tranquilizers, but Johansen remains pessimistic.

“The food’s going to taste strange, so they may not eat it.”