Small Town Overcome By Mysterious Ape Sightings
Some Believe Animal Is An Orangutan

Residents have been hearing screeches in the night and stories of sightings echo on every corner.

The local newspaper even ran a story about the sightings.

"There is kind of that 'I've seen a bigfoot' type of feel to it," said resident Eric Lawson. "They said it made a nest in that tree, so it's probably somewhere here in the area."

Some believe the mysterious animal is an orangutan -- one local family had found what looked to be an orange ape up high in a tree.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator who answered the original complaint call on the orange ape said there was definitely something up in the top of the tree, but he really couldn't be sure what it was.

He said he took a pack of jelly donuts and left it at the bottom of the tree, hoping to lure the creature to the ground.

He said he hasn't heard anything since.

"The next morning, the people came out and it was, it was gone," Lawson said.

If the mysterious animal was an ape, where did it come from? State officials said no one in Baker County is licensed to own an orangutan."

"The next morning, the people came out and it was, it was gone," Lawson said.

The pack of jelly donuts or the mystery ape?

RayG

I can't believe that the townspeople just all went to bed and nobody was curious enough to watch the animal until it decided to come down. I do believe many of us would have probably been out there watching all night!

Could this be a publicity stunt concocted after the Jacob’s Creature thing? You have to admit that JC got a lot of press attention and I’d say the local economy had a little boom afterwards.

Could this be a publicity stunt concocted after the Jacob’s Creature thing? You have to admit that JC got a lot of press attention and I’d say the local economy had a little boom afterwards.

Please let me know when the motel rooms fill up.

-A

Thats ridiculous that they got this creature, possibly an orangutan , possibly an unknown primate, singled out to the top of tree ( As in the report) and it still gets away. Yet these bigfoot hunters out near the west have it singled out to huge wilderness areas.
I mean, when you get the animal down to a single tree, it should be caught.

He said he took a pack of jelly donuts and left it at the bottom of the tree, hoping to lure the creature to the ground.

He said he hasn't heard anything since.

Great Ape Spotted In Woods Near Macclenny
Official Uses Box Of Donuts In Attempt To Lure Ape From Tree

MACCLENNY, Fla. -- State wildlife officers are hoping to capture what appears to be an orangutan sighted earlier this month in the woods of Baker County.

On Nov. 2, two men called animal control to report seeing what appeared to be a large ape in a tree off Harry Rewis Road, north of Macclenny.

Animal control officer Tina Thomas went out and confirmed seeing a "big red fur ball" -- apparently an ape -- sitting in a tree.

"We got this call and this man said, 'You are just not going to believe this and I'm not crazy.' I said, 'What is it? We've heard a lot of things.' He said, 'I have a monkey in my tree.'" Thomas said. "I thought the man was on drugs. I said, 'Are you sure?' He was like, 'I'm telling you I'm not on drugs and I ain't been drinking.'"

Not equipped with the proper training to handle such an exotic animal, Thomas said she immediately called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to send an officer out.

When Thomas got to the scene, she saw the animal and realized the caller was right.

"We got the binoculars and could see the whole body of the ape. He was red with a lighter color face," Thomas said.

About 100 feet up in a tree, the ape fit the description of an orangutan. She said the ape was about 3 or 4 feet tall and was curled up, nesting in a pile of leaves.

"We were just wondering where he had came from and if he was wild or somebody's pet. But he was definitely wild. He didn't like people," said Rock Rohden, who saw the ape.

When a Fish and Wildlife arrived at the scene, the officer couldn't identify the animal and did not want to try to tranquilize the animal because it was 100 feet off the ground, so he set out a box of doughnuts and told folks to call him if it came down.

The orangutan apparently did come down, but no one saw it. The morning after the ape was spotted, it was gone.

"The game warden stated to leave the animal be, that he would remove himself on his own and that he was probably scared and would go on his way to where he needed to be," Thomas said.

Orangutans, known for their red fur, are native to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Thomas speculated that the animal may be a refugee from an off-road tourist attraction that was damaged by the storms in 2004.

A large patas monkey was captured in Columbia County one year ago. State officials said it belonged to a homeowner who had a permit.

Officials said it has been about two weeks since anyone has spotted the ape. They said anyone who sees the animal is advised not to go near it and to immediately call the wildlife alert line at 888-404-3922.

Copyright 2007 by News4Jax.com.

Baker sightings have residents talking Bigfoot
Several in the Macclenny area have reported seeing a "big orange ball of fur" in the trees.

By ADAM AASEN, The Times-Union

An orangutan sighting has Baker County residents going ape, and now Fish and Wildlife officials are hoping to lure the animal out of the trees using a secret weapon: doughnuts.

Although the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission can't confirm it was an ape, some people reported seeing a "big orange ball of fur," said Karen Parker, Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman.

Some think it's just a spider monkey or a squirrel. Others are seriously investigating whether it was a "baby Bigfoot."

One thing is for sure, the animal is still on the loose and it apparently has a hunger for jelly doughnuts.

On Oct. 30, Fish and Wildlife investigator Ken Holmes said he got a call about the animal stealing the sweet snacks from a bear hunter who lives near Macclenny. Holmes looked into the tall pine tree and saw something moving around but couldn't confirm if it was an ape, squirrel, monkey, raccoon or even a cat.

So Holmes decided to lay doughnuts at the base of the tree to lure the creature out. The animal left but wasn't seen or captured.

Earlier this month, Baker County Animal Control received a report of two men seeing an ape in a tree off Harry Rewis Road in Macclenny, Parker said.

Tina Thomas, an animal control officer in Baker County, said she saw an orange-colored ape sitting in a tree that was "much larger than a spider monkey."

"I wouldn't have believed it, but I saw it with my own eyes," she said.

On Wednesday, Holmes received a call from a Bigfoot research group asking about the animal. The researcher said there are reports of juvenile Bigfoots in Florida. Holmes said he answered all of his questions but "almost wanted to correct him that the proper term in Florida is 'skunk apes.' "

"I can't confirm that it wasn't Bigfoot," he said. "That's one possibility. It's just not a possibility I'm exploring."

Holmes said he isn't even sure it was an ape in the tree because there are orange-colored spider monkeys. He said it's illegal to own an orangutan in Florida without a commercial permit, and nobody in the area is registered to have one. The closest zoo is in Jacksonville, and no animals have been reported missing.

If he finds the animal, Holmes said it would not be killed but tranquilized and captured until an appropriate home can be decided for it. He said there is no danger to residents.

This isn't the first time Holmes has gone monkey hunting in Florida. He said he captured a patas monkey last year, a fast, slender animal known as the "greyhound of monkeys."

Holmes said as he tried to grab the monkey, the patas drop-kicked him twice without warning. He was able to calm the animal using his old fallback - food.

"Luckily I had a fruit salad packed for lunch, trying to be healthy," he said. "The monkey took some grapes and he was fine."

adam.aasen@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4247

Great Ape Spotted In Woods Near Macclenny
Official Uses Box Of Donuts In Attempt To Lure Ape From Tree

POSTED: 2:51 pm EST November 14, 2007

MACCLENNY, Fla. -- State wildlife officers are hoping to capture what appears to be an orangutan sighted earlier this month in the woods of Baker County.

On Nov. 2, two men called animal control to report seeing what appeared to be a large ape in a tree off Harry Rewis Road, north of Macclenny.

Animal control officer Tina Thomas went out and confirmed seeing a "big red fur ball" -- apparently an ape -- sitting in a tree.

"We got this call and this man said, 'You are just not going to believe this and I'm not crazy.' I said, 'What is it? We've heard a lot of things.' He said, 'I have a monkey in my tree.'" Thomas said. "I thought the man was on drugs. I said, 'Are you sure?' He was like, 'I'm telling you I'm not on drugs and I ain't been drinking.'"

Not equipped with the proper training to handle such an exotic animal, Thomas said she immediately called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to send an officer out.

When Thomas got to the scene, she saw the animal and realized the caller was right.

"We got the binoculars and could see the whole body of the ape. He was red with a lighter color face," Thomas said.

About 100 feet up in a tree, the ape fit the description of an orangutan. She said the ape was about 3 or 4 feet tall and was curled up, nesting in a pile of leaves.

"We were just wondering where he had came from and if he was wild or somebody's pet. But he was definitely wild. He didn't like people," said Rock Rohden, who saw the ape.

When a Fish and Wildlife arrived at the scene, the officer couldn't identify the animal and did not want to try to tranquilize the animal because it was 100 feet off the ground, so he set out a box of doughnuts and told folks to call him if it came down.

The orangutan apparently did come down, but no one saw it. The morning after the ape was spotted, it was gone.

"The game warden stated to leave the animal be, that he would remove himself on his own and that he was probably scared and would go on his way to where he needed to be," Thomas said.

Orangutans, known for their red fur, are native to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Thomas speculated that the animal may be a refugee from an off-road tourist attraction that was damaged by the storms in 2004.
A large patas monkey was captured in Columbia County one year ago. State officials said it belonged to a homeowner who had a permit.

Officials said it has been about two weeks since anyone has spotted the ape. They said anyone who sees the animal is advised not to go near it and to immediately call the wildlife alert line at 888-404-3922.

But he was definitely wild. He didn't like people," said Rock Rohden, who saw the ape.

Holmes said as he tried to grab the monkey, the patas drop-kicked him twice without warning.

Will Doughnut Trap Lure Mystery Animal?

MACCLENNY, Fla. – Whether the mystery critter roaming northern Florida is an orangutan, a “baby Bigfoot” or something else, wildlife officials think it might have a bit of Homer Simpson in it.

After a bear hunter said an animal that could be an orangutan stole jelly doughnuts from him, a wildlife investigator has tried to use sweet treats to lure the creature into the open in Baker County.

There have been several sightings of what witnesses have described as a “big orange ball of fur,” though officials have yet to confirm it’s an orangutan, said Karen Parker, a spokeswoman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Fish and wildlife investigator Ken Holmes laid doughnuts at the base of a tree in hopes of catching the animal, but it eluded him.

It’s illegal to own an orangutan in Florida without a commercial permit, and none are registered in the area, Holmes said. The closest zoo is in Jacksonville, about 30 miles east, but it hasn’t reported any missing animals.

Some residents think the animal is a spider monkey or even a squirrel. Holmes said he also got a call from a Bigfoot research group asking about it.

“I can’t confirm that it wasn’t Bigfoot,” he said. “That’s one possibility. It’s just not a possibility I’m exploring.”

[There have been several sightings of what witnesses have described as a “big orange ball of fur,” though officials have yet to confirm it’s an orangutan, said Karen Parker, a spokeswoman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Apeman years ago I took a trip with two of my younger brothers down to Florida taking in many of the major sites including Disney World, The Coral Castle, Key West, and a trip into the Everglades. Along the way we stopped at one of those "Roadside Attractions that had caged and/or chained animals. About the saddest thing I saw down there was at that attraction where they had a Mandrill in a box not much larger than itself. You could buy this biscuit shaped treats to feed them and when I reached towards him to hand him the treat he nearly ripped my hand off trying to get it. But what really disturbed me as I stood and watched him for a while is while sitting there he kept staring at his right hand, then would slap himself in the head, grab his right hand with his left and start biting on the right hand. My personal feeling was this Mandrill had been confined to that cage for far too long. Since then I've never visited another of those attractions that featured live animals confined in those manners.

As far as I know all those roadside zoos have long since been shut down and the animals were released. They were truly sad. How long ago was this that you were here?

man I woulda loved to see that!..... Maybe it was a descendant of Gorilla Monsoon.

And on YouTube from NW Florida, note the orange color...