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Pet Monkey Gets Loose in TX Halloween Store

Incident Date:
10/28/2025
Location:
Plano, TX - USA
Facility Name:
Facility Type:
Exotic Pet (E)
Incident Category:
Escape of animal (EA)
Species:
Primates
Animal:
Spider Monkey
Animal disposition:
Recaptured

Summary:

PLANO, TX – At a Spirit Halloween store in Plano, a pet monkey (appearing to be a spider monkey from the footage) escaped from their owner and swung through the rafters for more than 30 minutes before being recaptured.

Jimmy Harris, a store employee, said the pet monkey appeared to have gotten spooked by the store’s animatronic decorations and ran away from the owner. Plano police were then called to the store. In a statement, an officer stated that “He observed the monkey swinging from the rafters wearing a diaper. Eventually, a cookie was offered to the monkey by the owner, and was able to gain control of it.”

In a statement, Lisa Barr, Spirit Halloween’s VP of Marketing wrote, “Our team responded quickly and contacted local authorities, who arrived promptly on the scene. In a rather unexpected turn, the monkey was safely coaxed with a cookie. The monkey was tagged with identification, and returned to its owner without incident.”

Action take by Born Free USA:

Notes: