MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It wasn’t a sale but a small monkey on the run that got customers’ attention inside a Southeast Memphis clothing store Wednesday afternoon.
Arionna Moffitt and a friend were shopping at the Summitt in the Centennial Commons when they noticed the small Common Marmoset jumping from rack to rack.
“It’s just the one time we came in the store. It was a coincidence,” said Moffitt.
Moffitt said she knew right away it was someone’s missing pet. She’d seen Brandi Jefferson’s post on Facebook.
“She was jumping around over there, but my brother he knows the girl whose monkey it is, and I saw it on Facebook, so I knew whose monkey it was,” said Moffitt.
An employee of the store said the monkey got in through an open back door the day before, but at the time, he thought it was a squirrel and was trying to lure it out with bread. AR Jordan said he had no idea where the animal came from, and didn’t seem to mind the small primate had turned the store into one giant jungle gym.
“I love it. I hope it can stay here,” said Jordan.
Brandi Jefferson said she had her monkey Ice with her when she stopped by the Dollar Tree next to the Summit on Tuesday.
She said she was only in the store about five minutes and left a window cracked for the monkey, and when she came back, the monkey was gone. She searched all around the shopping center for the monkey and made a plea on Facebook for help finding her, even offering a reward.
It didn’t take her long to catch Ice. Jefferson said she was relieved to have her back and grateful to the people who found her.
Jordan was sad to see the monkey go.
“”It was actually fun. First time I’ve seen them out of the zoo,” said Jordan.
It is legal in Memphis and the state of Tennessee to own a small exotic animal like Ice.
