Honshu, the Japanese macaque that escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park, is still enjoying the limelight almost one year on.
The snow monkey garnered global attention after fleeing his enclosure last January.
For five days, keepers from the park scoured the Kincraig area for Honshu, though he continued to elude them.
His grand adventure finally came to an end after he was lured in by a tasty treat – a Yorkshire pudding.
Transferred alongside three members of his original troop to Edinburgh Zoo, Honshu and the boys have settled in quite nicely in their new home.
‘He is a great addition to the zoo’
Kirsty McFaul, senior for birds, primates and koalas, has been looking after the group since they arrived in the Scottish Capital last year.
She spoke with The Press and Journal about the boys and their cheeky nature, as well as Honshu’s love for showing off for his fans.
Kirsty said: “Honshu and the three other boys have been great.
“Visitors have loved seeing them explore the outside enclosure.
“The two younger ones, Kirran and Katana love to play and people love seeing that.
“Honshu loves to sit in front of the window and show everyone how handsome he is.
“They have done well and it has been lovely to have Honshu.
“He is a great addition to the zoo.”
The highland troop are the first of their kind at the city zoo and have become popular with visitors.
Their diet consists of pellets, leafy greens and root vegetables, as well as a protein, which varies between chickpeas, lentils and bugs.
Honshu shows his behind to welcome new arrivals
The oldest of the four monkeys, Honshu took charge of the troop from the start.
His reign was, however, short-lived, as three more adult male macaques arrived from Amsterdam in December.
Despite the new arrivals being older, Kirsty says the group have jelled nicely.
She revealed Honshu had approaching one of the prominent males and “showed his behind”, a submissive move used by primates to show there is “no threat”.
“Amsterdam had an enclosure that wasn’t suitable for their macaques anymore and they asked us if we would be interested in taking some more males on,” Kirsty explained.
“We said we had the facilities here, so we could try. and we were very lucky that it worked out very well.
“They have all been in groups before and it is quite nice to have a mixed age so the group can be more socially dynamic.
“Honshu was up in the Highlands, where there is a big group, so he knows how to deal with social dynamics.
“He went up to a predominant male in that group, introduced himself and went from there.
“They have got their different strengths so that’s what makes them quite a good group.”
Honshu nervous around people
Since hitting the headlines, the troop have become a popular stop at Edinburgh Zoo.
However, the keeper admits that Honshu can, at times, get some stage fright.
She said: “People love to see them, especially the young ones as they are always doing something.
“They are always playing, grooming each other or being sneaky.
“They are very interesting to watch.
“Honshu just likes to show himself off but he is quite nervous sometimes.
“We try to change their enclosure on a regular basis to make sure they never get bored and give them lots of different stuff every day.
“We are trying to make sure we give them the best life that we can.”
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