Monkey dies in motorway accident after escaping from Belfast zoo

'We are still investigating how he escaped as there is a moat around the island'

The escaped monkey walks crawls down a roadside path. Twitter @aaronmcildoon

A monkey escaped from Belfast Zoo only to die after it was hit by a car on the motorway.

A passerby who filmed the spider monkey on the M2 in north Belfast, prior to its death, said they contacted the zoo immediately but there was no answer.

Deborah McCann, whose partner Darren uploaded a video of the monkey that went viral on social media, said the couple were saddened by the monkey's death.

"It's so sad,” she told The Belfast Telegraph. “I uploaded if for a laugh, it is not every day you see a monkey on the road. My partner felt awful when we found out he had died him. Darren and his brother contacted the Zoo immediately but there was no answer so they contacted the police to inform them."

The creatures death and other recent animal escapes from the zoo, led to calls by local politicians for an urgent review of the way the animals are housed.

“Belfast City Council has a duty of care to look after all the animals at Belfast Zoo,” said Michael Long, an Alliance Party councillor in Lisnasharragh. “Therefore, a review of security in relation to the housing of animals at the zoo needs carried out urgently, particularly as monkeys have previously escaped from there in the past few years."

He added: “Belfast Zoo carries out good work in terms of conservation and taking part in breeding programmes to help protect many species but it is not good enough to have animals escaping and unfortunately subsequently killed."

A spokesperson for the zoo said in a statement that they were "sorry" to announce that the spider monkey had died.

"We are currently investigating how the escape occurred from the monkey island on which the animals are kept," they said. "The monkey was being tracked by keepers when the accident occurred and despite being quickly taken back to the Zoo for veterinary assistance died shortly afterwards."

The spokesperson added: "This is the first time this has happened. It's a relatively new monkey being introduced. We are still investigating how he escaped as there is a moat around the island."

There have been several escapes from Belfast zoo in recent years.

In 2015, two lion-tailed macaques escaped; while, in 2013, six others fled the confines of captivity.

However, on previous occasions, the primates were found.