A complaint has been filed with police about a visitor to the El Paso Zoo.
Reports say Lucy Rae climbed a hip high wall to get into the spider monkey exhibit. A video shows her feeding them chips and laughing. She's in water. They approach but they're not swimmers and don't get too close.
She wasn't hurt but El Paso zoo keeper Mason Kleist says this impromptu visit may have really upset the 41 and 34 year old elderly primates. "The monkeys are so far OK. We're still trying to build that trust up with them. They're still a little hesitant with us, so hopefully we can get moving in the right direction with them."
He calls her actions "dumb and irresponsible."
Monkeys are primates and so are people. So that means there's a health risk. "Whatever we can get, they can get as well. So if we have the flu, they can get the flu. If we have a common cold, they can get the common cold. Even before Covid, we were wearing masks around monkeys." Rae is not wearing a mask in the video.
Kleist says the woman's action may lead to extra security and higher fences
The escape cost Rae her job with an El Paso law firm. Kleist says she has been hired by another law firm.
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