Baboon Makes Ass of St. Louis -- Now Updated

Not the actual Florissant baboon.

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UPDATE: Kudos to Daily RFT's very smart reader "Shelley" -- this thing was, indeed, a hoax on the part of a schoolgirl. Apparently, kids will do anything for attention these days, to the point of downloading photos from nature websites and passing them off their own -- thereby unleashing hapless adults with butterfly nets onto the streets of Florissant.

See this story from Fox2 News for the latest.

A local resident called police this morning after espying a "chimp" running loose in a common area behind homes in her Florissant neighborhood, according to wire reports. There have since been multiple sightings; police are now on the prowl, as are zoo officials. (Since the animal is not believed to be an escapee, they've presumably been summoned for their monkey-catching expertise.)

And, as KDSK reports, one woman managed to get a picture. Her photo makes it clear that the animal in question is actually a baboon -- and, for the record, this baboon doesn't like being told to smile.

According to KDSK's account:

Windsor said she was awoken this morning by her barking dog. When she looked out into her yard, she saw the baboon standing under a small tree in her yard.

But the funniest part of the story may be this description of local residents, per the Post-Dispatch:

In the Florissant neighborhood where people were searching, the scene this afternoon was chaotic. One woman, who did not want to be identified, said she owned a monkey. She made baboon-like noises and scattered Lays potato chips and Cheetos on the ground.

Another woman who said she owned a monkey was walking around with a net, hoping to catch the loose animal.

Seriously, just how many monkey owners live in Florissant, anyway?