California Police Respond to 911 Call From Monkey Who Called on Stolen Zoo Phone

Over the weekend, police received a 911 call from a monkey at Conservation Ambassadors, a zoo in Paso Robles, California.

According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, police responded to the call on Saturday, sending deputies to investigate the situation after their attempt to call the zoo back had been disconnected.

Upon arriving at Conservation Ambassadors’ offices, law enforcement learned that no zoo employees had placed the call. Both parties subsequently discovered that a capuchin monkey named Route had made the 911 call.

“Apparently, Route had picked up the zoo’s cell phone, which was in the zoo’s golf cart, which is used to travel around the zoo’s 40 acre site,” police wrote on Facebook. “We’re told Capuchin monkeys are very inquisitive and will grab anything and everything and just start pushing buttons.”

The sheriff’s office added, “And that’s what Route did… just so happened it was in the right combination of numbers to call us.”

The zoo later took to social media to address Route’s accidental phone call, confirming that capuchin monkeys, which are found in South America, and weigh between three and nine pounds, are known for being “very inquisitive.”

“Let this serve as an educational lesson that monkeys are NOT animals that should be kept as pets!” the zoo said on Facebook. “Conservation Ambassadors provides a home to injured and abandoned wildlife. They’re so inquisitive you never know what might happen!”

Watch NBC News meet the now-infamous monkey named Route in the video up top.