Prank calls are a classic way to monkey around, but this one took things to a whole new level.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call that was immediately disconnected. When dispatchers traced it back to a local zoo, the staff was just as confused—no one there had made the call.
Well, no person, anyway.
Turns out, the culprit was Route, a baby capuchin monkey with two opposable thumbs and, apparently, a future in tech support.
“Capuchin monkeys are so smart,” Lisa Jackson, owner of Paso Robles' Zoo To You, told AP News. “She sees me all the time texting and playing with the phone. So I think that's pretty much what she did.”
Yep, classic case of monkey see, monkey do.
Route had swiped a cellphone from a golf cart and started pressing buttons—unfortunately, she happened to dial 911. Oops.
“Our Deputies have seen their fair share of ‘monkey business’ in the County,” the Sheriff’s Office joked in a social media post, sharing adorable photos of the guilty party. “But nothing quite like this.”
Route’s antics are hilarious (she’s basically a real-life Curious George), but they also serve as a reminder of why monkeys don’t make great pets.
According to The Spruce Pets, capuchins rarely get enough stimulation in a human home, leading to destructive behavior. Plus, their diet and habitat needs are tough to replicate—unless you have time to build a personal rainforest and prepare gourmet fruit-and-veggie purées twice a day.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's illegal to own one in 35 states.
Zoo To You reinforced the message on Facebook: “Let this serve as an educational lesson that monkeys are NOT animals that should be kept as pets! They're so inquisitive you never know what might happen!”
And inquisitive they are. Capuchins, for example, bond by poking each other’s eyeballs. They also wash their hands and feet in pee (scientists still aren’t sure why) and, in what might be the ultimate power move, female capuchins have been known to throw rocks at potential mates.
Clearly, Route was born for mischief, but the real question is—what’s next? Another 911 call? A mass pizza order? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.