Gun police on safari as monkey goes missing But the quarry poses little danger to anyone who might come across it. A rhesus macaque monkey has escaped from Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, and after more than 24 hours on the loose is still a step ahead of its pursuers. The animal, 3ft tall on its hind legs, was reported missing on Thursday afternoon, and has so far been seen up to four miles away, beyond woodland and a main road. It was seen by Nigel Day, the landlord of the Royal Oak pub on the A362, which is just beyond the Longleat grounds. "I was driving down a country road to a pond when it leapt right on to the bonnet of my car, and then into the bushes," he said. I got out to have a look and it had gone into the hedgerow. I carried on down towards the pond and there were two armed police officers and about 15 Longleat staff out looking for it. I told them where I'd seen it and they went dashing off. A few minutes later I got to the pond and saw it along the hedgerow, so I whistled to them that it was there and they call came back, by which time it had disappeared again. I think they'd cornered it up a large tree, but it must have got away again. Good on him I say. The monkey had travelled at least a mile before Mr Day came across it, and it was seen near the village of Corsley, four miles from the safari park, yesterday afternoon. Despite safari park monkeys having a reputation for vandalising cars, Longleat staff who have been on the search with Wiltshire Police officers said it was "low risk." They did not disclose how it escaped. A Longleat spokesman said: "The monkey is the size of a small domestic cat. It poses minimal threat to the public. However, local residents have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed.