KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says all three monkeys that were reported loose in the Stony Hill area earlier this week have now been captured.

The animals are now in quarantine under the care of the Veterinary Services Division (VSD) and the Hope Zoo.

NEPA said it will be working with its partners, including the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the VSD to identify the location from which the monkeys escaped and will be taking the strongest possible legal action against the person or persons responsible for their importation.

A multidisciplinary team including NEPA officers, members of the VSD, a JCF team, and representatives from Hope Zoo and the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA) had been deployed to the location on Monday to investigate videos circulating which showed at least three monkeys moving about in what appeared to be a naseberry fruit tree.

Initial reports suggested that the monkeys escaped from a nearby property.

READ: Monkey on the loose in Stony Hill

A day later, the agency said it had capture two of the three monkeys which were on the loose.

READ: Two of three loose monkeys caught in Stony Hill — NEPA

In the meantime, the agency is reminding the public that it is against the law to import animals into the country without the necessary approval from the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as well as the requisite permit from NEPA.

Individuals in breach of the import requirements can be fined a maximum of $5 million under the Natural Resources and Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act.

The white-faced capuchin monkey is not native to the island and can pose serious threat to public health and Jamaica’s agricultural industry. The presence of the animal can also prove disruptive to the natural balance of the country’s ecosystem and biodiversity, NEPA said.

The incident comes less than three months after authorities interdicted a vessel off St Elizabeth which was carrying exotic animals including four monkeys, 12 parrots, and an ocelot which escaped and has not been recaptured. The animal was later presumed dead.

READ: Smuggled animal is an ocelot not tiger, says veterinary expert