INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The monkey on the loose named Momo was captured Thursday morning after a nearly 18-hour chase through the Irongate neighborhood on the city’s east side.

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department assisted Indianapolis Animal Care Services in the search for Momo. The monkey was first publicly reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to be on the loose in the Irongate neighborhood.

The monkey will not return to its owner’s home soon … or maybe ever. The city government impounded Momo and took him to the Indianapolis Zoo for evaluation.

For hours on Wednesday and Thursday, a horde of people chased the monkey from house to house, from street to street, over fences, through yards, around a retention pond, and into the woods. The monkey was found late Thursday morning inside a vacant house under construction.

The brother of the monkey’s owner, who did not share his name with I-Team 8, said of Momo’s return, “It is a he, and it is great. I’m glad to get him back. He’s probably tired and hungry, and a little scared.”

Michael Hinojosa had spotted the monkey, then made the last 911 call about the missing monkey. “I mean I work from home, so I was in the middle of a meeting, and I just saw something run across my front yard here and, at first, I thought it was a dog and then realized it was the monkey that’s on the loose. I saw it run right into that vacant house there.”

According to Indianapolis Animal Care Services, Momo is a patas monkey, and the owner doesn’t need a permit or license to keep it in a residential area.

The cops aren’t accustomed to seeing monkeys on the loose and took extra precautions to protect themselves and everyone else in the area.

Detective Sgt. Bill Carter, who works in nuisance abatement for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said, “Obviously, there are concerns. I mean, there are concerns for public safety. But, we also have concerns for the monkey. I mean, we didn’t want anyone to injure the monkey. We didn’t want the monkey to get hit by a car. Obviously, our officers are not going to know how to deal with a monkey. I have been in law enforcement for 24 years. I’ve never dealt with a monkey.”

The next concern is public health.

Katie Trennepohl, deputy director of Indianapolis Animal Care Services, said, “We have been in contact with the Marion County Public Health Department. We are asking that anyone that had any direct contact with Momo while he’s been out running, that they contact the health department. There is a concern for diseases that can be transmitted to humans.”

Momo had also escaped back in July but was quickly returned to its owner.

The owner, who was not publicly identified, was given a citation Wednesday night for the latest escape after reports that the monkey chased someone. Trennepohl said, “I believe for the monkey chasing and approaching in a menacing fashion. So, we’re still working with the prosecutor’s office because this is such a rare situation.”

Animal Care Services says Momo was kept in a large cage outside, and that the house was clean. They have no reason to believe the monkey was mistreated or left to roam unattended.

But, how did get loose? Trennepohl said, “We believe that he removed a bungee cord or chewed through a bungee cord that was holding a tarp.”