San Francisco Bay Area authorities are asking local communities to help find Banana Sam, the squirrel monkey who was kidnapped from the San Francisco Zoo last Thursday (photo and description above). As Iranian-Americans are very much part of any local community in the U.S., it is within the jurisdiction of this website to publicize the request.
To explain how the kidnapper gained access to Banana Sam, TV reporters mention a hole that has been cut into the monkey cage. However, no report has yet questioned how the thief was able to catch the agile critter, and why no other monkeys escaped through the hole.
Squirrel monkeys are a New World species whose females are distinguished for having a pseudo penis to lord over others of their kind during political dominance struggles. Before Banana Sam the most famous squirrel monkey was Miss Baker (1957-1984). She was the first squirrel monkey to survive being shot into space.
As one San Francisco police officer said, “If your friend, relative, neighbor or acquaintance suddenly has a pet monkey that they didn’t have the day before, please call 911.” To which I may add, if this friend, relative, neighbor or acquaintance has a space rocket in his backyard that he didn’t have the day before, that too merits a phone call to the authorities.
