Another false sighting of Moe the chimp

A hiker stranded over the weekend in the San Bernardino National Forest thought she saw a monkey in the mountains, but after further investigation, it's not Moe, the chimpanzee missing since last month, the Associated Press reports today:

Grace Hilario was hiking Friday when she became separated from her group. That afternoon she saw the silhouette of what she said appeared to be a dirty gray monkey weighing about 50 to 60 pounds.

However, Moe is about twice the weight Hilario described and black in color. And the area where she was found is nearly on the other side of the San Bernardino National Forest, at least 20 miles from where Moe escaped June 27.

Jungle Exotics owner Joe Camp says Moe would have had to cross numerous highways to get there from his compound.

Still, volunteers will pay more attention to that area of the forest where Hilario was.

The 42-year-old Moe became a celebrity during the decades he lived in a couple's West Covina home. He is pictured here with the couple, LaDonna and St. James Davis, at their wedding in 1970.

For the record, Moe is an ape, not a monkey. And speaking of monkeys, if Hilario did see one, where did that animal come from?

-- Francisco Vara-Orta

Photo credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Thomas Himes]

"but after further investigation, it's not Moe, the chimpanzee missing since last month, the Associated Press reports today"

You should probably get your facts right, or do some actual reporting before writing misleading and false statements.

[Doug Millhoff]

The hiker may have seen a large raccoon. They're a dirty gray, heavy fur makes them look larger than they are, and I've seen them walk on their hind legs in a rather monkey-like manner.