Monkey who escaped from South Carolina home is dead, officials say

WALTERBORO, S.C. — What appeared to be a happy ending for a macaque named Bradley in South Carolina had a tragic postscript. Bradley the monkey was actually dead when he was discovered on Monday.

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“I can confirm that the monkey was not captured alive,” Megan Utsey, the deputy county administrator for Colleton County, said in a statement obtained by WCSC-TV on Wednesday.

Bradley was shot by a homeowner who said their dog was being threatened by the primate, Utsey said. The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that account to WCBD-TV after speaking with the 15-year-old monkey’s owner.

In an email to WLTX-TV, Utsey said that county officials initially assisted the owner in his search for Bradley.

“However, no Colleton County personnel or resources were involved in this incident,” she wrote. “We have no information related to what happened except what the owner has shared with us.”

Bradley escaped on May 23 from his Walterboro habitat, where he lived for the past six years, Colleton County Animal Services originally said in a statement. The owner initially believed he could catch the monkey himself but had no luck.

The viral nature of the his escape -- and sightings of him by members of the Walterboro community -- made the task more difficult, authorities said.

In announcing the animal was recovered, Colleton Animal Control said that they received their information from Bradley’s owner, WCBD reported.

“Per his owner, attempts to capture Bradley were successful,” the agency wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. Animal control officials did not specifically address whether the animal was alive or deceased in its post.

Bradley was not considered dangerous or aggressive, but officials still expressed concern because the animal was wild, according to WLTX.

Bradley had lived in Walterboro for six years.

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