BREAKING UPDATE: Monkey Hit by Car After Roadside Zoo Escape
UPDATE (September 25, 2025): The capuchin monkey who escaped Zootastic Park in North Carolina was hit by a car after roaming loose for almost a week. Not much is known about her condition, but authorities reportedly returned the monkey to the facility.
This never would have happened if Zootastic hadn’t imprisoned the monkey in unsafe enclosures. The roadside zoo is putting everyone in danger—and authorities need to do something about it. PETA is urging federal authorities to investigate the incident and to hold Zootastic accountable for its repeated failures. This is a developing story—check back for updates.
Originally posted on September 17, 2025:
It’s no surprise a capuchin monkey escaped from this shoddy roadside zoo—anyone would want to escape a hellhole like Zootastic.
A pedestrian spotted the escaped monkey climbing a telephone pole and scampering across electrical wires shortly after her bid for freedom from Zootastic.
This Monkey Escape Is Not the First Time Zootastic Failed to Keep Animals Safe
According to Zootastic’s owner, the monkey escaped from her enclosure by pulling the wire bars apart and sliding through them. In nature, capuchins live in tight-knit groups and spend their days racing through the treetops of South American rainforests. When isolated in cages, social and curious capuchin monkeys suffer from chronic stress, boredom, and depression. For the monkey on the loose, her climbing of telephone poles and electrical wires may be the closest she gets to expressing her natural behaviors.
The capuchin’s dash for freedom is far from an anomaly; numerous other animals have escaped from Zootastic’s enclosures. Previously, a kinkajou, two capybaras, and 20 goats escaped the roadside zoo’s cages.
Animals at Zootastic have also been forced to live in moldy cages, suffer inside inadequate shelters in subfreezing temperatures, and have even lost body parts to frostbite. Zootastic also has a history of causing preventable human injuries, including a tiger cub biting a man and a wildebeest encounter that landed a woman in the hospital.
How You Can Help Animals Like the Escaped Monkey From Zootastic
To help animals suffering at this shoddy facility or one like it, never visit Zootastic or any other roadside zoos. And take action here:
