Florida wildlife is showing up in non-forest areas on New Year’s Day morning. Perhaps they’re taking advantage of humans’ sleep and venturing out of their comfort zones.
This is especially true in eastern Marion County on the first day of 2026. A bald eagle flew low over the Ocklawaha Bridge, and seconds later a group of monkeys could be seen foraging for food on State Highway 40, four miles from their usual haunt at Silver Spring State Park.
Why are there rhesus monkeys in Florida?
If you live in north-central Florida, you know that rhesus monkeys are found at Silver Spring State Park near Ocala. Their bodies are brown to gray and their faces are pink, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The monkeys were introduced to Florida in the 1930s by a cruise ship operator named Colonel Stephen Tooey, according to a post from the University of Florida’s Division of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation/IFAS Extension.
Tui released six of them on an island in the Milky Way, hoping to build a park based on the Tarzan story.
This agile primate is native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia and China.
A widely circulated video shows a kayaker at Florida’s Silver Spring State Park witnessing some “monkey business” as primates jumped from trees and cannonballed into the spring water.
Monkey behavior and migration
From 1984 to 2012, macaque population growth was controlled through trapping and removal. Private trappers harvested approximately 1,000 macaques from the population and sold them to biomedical research institutions; however, this practice was halted due to animal rights concerns.
Monkeys may become aggressive when you try to feed them or approach them. If you keep your distance, they usually won’t bother you. They are known to chase visitors to Silver Spring State Park. If this happens, seek help from the authorities.
Do some macaques actually have herpes?
The latest data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that about 25 percent of Florida’s macaques carry herpes B virus. Another reason to keep your distance.
How many rhesus monkeys are there in Florida?
The exact numbers fluctuate, according to the University of Florida. Invasive rhesus macaques remain largely concentrated around Silver Spring State Park, with numbers estimated in recent years ranging from 300 to 600, an increase from earlier introductions; a 2018 study found at least 134 macaques in the Ocklawaha River area alone, but the population continues to grow and is not precisely monitored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, although sightings are tracked.
Why are the monkeys outside Silver Spring State Park?
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, female rhesus monkeys tend to stay with their natal group throughout their lives. Meanwhile, most males leave the group once they reach sexual maturity, becoming solitary or joining other groups. Males are more solitary, can be nomadic and are responsible for extensive range expansion, and have been found in cities such as Sarasota, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Orlando.
A wild rhesus monkey steps over a wrought iron railing at the Cottonwood Apartments complex in Claremont on May 2, 2024.
In 2024, the Leesburg Daily Business reported sightings in Groveland and Clermont, Lake County.
They’re not the only monkeys in Florida’s wildlife. The Sunshine State also has squirrels and vervet monkeys.
Experts warn that existing populations in the park and the Greater Ocala National Forest could easily lead to new populations forming in other parts of the state because of this dispersal behavior
Wild monkeys are so common in some areas that the FWC asks that you only report them if you see them outside of Marion County’s core population areas. The report found monkeys:
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Try taking a photo or video
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Please call the FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4681)
If you see a wild monkey posing an imminent threat to humans, please call 911 or the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404FWCC (888-404-3922).
This article originally appeared in Daily Business: Monkeys seen on Florida highways on New Year’s Day
