Texas Has a Problem Primate —and a Giant Mystery

No one knows where it came from, how it got out, or even for sure what it is (or if it is)—but an animal said to be on the loose in Texas is causing a ruckus. The New York Times perfectly explains the current confusion in the Lone Star state with this headline: "Monkey, or Maybe Chimp, or Maybe Nothing, Runs Amok." Per ABC News, however, Texas Parks and Wildlife has confirmed it is a chimpanzee that appears to be running around the Santa Fe area. Sightings of the mystery creature have been coming in since Monday, with some people claiming it has been running through the streets and harassing people and dogs; some say it's even tried to grab cats. Patricia De La Mora was the first person to file a police report Monday, after she said she heard noises outside her home in the middle of the night and spotted the large "monkey" when she looked out the window.

"I closed the curtain," De La Mora tells KHOU, which notes she was "paralyzed with fear" at the sight. "I didn't want him to see me." But the Santa Fe Police Department says it hasn't seen any sign of the animal or evidence of any attacks, and an animal shelter in Dickinson also warns against spreading unsubstantiated rumors. "We do not know type of monkey. We have not set eyes on the monkey. ... There [are] no pictures or videos of the animal," Bayou Animal Services notes on Facebook. It does offer tips on what locals can do if they do happen to spot something, including: Don't approach or try to catch the animal, take a photo, and "call animal control ASAP." The Times, meanwhile, offers this in summary: "Is the monkey good at hiding? Is it a hoax? Is it the ghost of a monkey? Is it baby Bigfoot? Is it ALF? Was the real monkey inside us all along?" (More chimpanzees stories.)