Gorilla in the midst... of Dorset: Mystery 'monkey-like' creature photographed in a park Student Terri Leigh Cox saw mystery beast in a park near her home She took a picture before it 'scampered up a tree' in Dorchester The teenager believes it may have escaped from a nearby monkey attraction This is the moment an escaped monkey was apparently photographed on the loose in a public park. The hairy black creature was spotted by stunned Terri Leigh Cox as she looked out of her bedroom window that overlooks the play park in Dorchester, Dorset. She witnessed the animal hunched over and bounding around on all fours before she grabbed her mobile phone and took a single frame of it. Miss Cox, 17, said the creature then scampered up a tree and out of sight. A student spotted what she thinks was a monkey wandering around her local park in Dorchester, Dorset Her boyfriend Shaun Bessant dashed out a few minutes later to look for the monkey-like creature but found no sign of it. Miss Cox spotted the beast about 100 yards away from her home. The park is about 10 miles away from the famous Monkey World attraction in Wool, although staff there have not reported any lost primates. Terri Leigh Cox, 17, took a quick snap of the 'primate' shortly before it scampered up a tree and out of sight She said she is certain the mysterious animal was not a dog or cat and believes it was a monkey that may be an escaped pet. 'It was such a shock I couldn't believe what I was seeing at first,' the health and social care student said. Miss Cox said: 'It looked about the size of a silver back gorilla. It was ambling like one as well, on its arms and feet It looked about the size of a small gorilla. It was walking like one as well, using its arms and feet. It was definitely a monkey because you could tell by its hunched back and the way it scampered across the field and up the tree. It wasn't a black dog. I managed to get a photo but it quickly went out of sight. I couldn't see it very clearly. When I tried to get another shot it had disappeared. I have no idea what the monkey was doing there. It could have escaped if someone was keeping it as a pet. A spokeswoman for Monkey World said all of its monkeys and apes were accounted for. She said: 'The image is not clear and it is difficult to make out, so we would be unable to confirm its identity. I can confirm that all of our rescued monkeys and apes are safe and well in the park. Many residents and dog walkers at the park have expressed their shock at the sighting. Derek Dodd said: 'I have seen a lot of wildlife on these fields but a monkey-like creature isn't one of them.' Rob Samways, who lives nearby, said: 'I'll be keeping my eyes peeled from now. I supposed somebody could have been keeping it as a pet and it has escaped.