Peanut ends monkey's escape bid

Minty the monkey's great escape from a Christchurch wildlife reserve was thwarted yesterday when she was spotted perched in a tree at a nearby park.

The capuchin made a dash for freedom from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve on Wednesday as she was being moved to a new enclosure.

Staff were unable to locate the wily primate at the reserve and appealed for public sightings.

She was spotted sitting in a tree by Shane Carter as he was walking his black labrador Ben.

"I looked at her and she looked at me - we were having a great time watching each other," he said.

Carter called Willowbank and staff collected Minty soon after, using a peanut to lure her into a cage.

A Willowbank spokeswoman said Minty was checked by a vet and was in good health, despite being a bit thinner than usual. She is now back in her enclosure.