MEMPHIS, Tennessee (WREG) – It wasn’t a sale but a little monkey that caught the attention of customers at a clothing store in Southeast Memphis this week. Arionna Moffitt and a friend were shopping at the Summitt in the Centennial Commons when they noticed the monkey – a common marmoset – leaping from rack to rack.
“It’s just the only time we’ve walked into the store. It was a coincidence, ”Moffitt said.
Moffitt said she knew right away it was a missing pet. She had previously seen a Facebook post from Brandi Jefferson, the owner of the money, asking for help in locating the animal.
“She was jumping all over there, but my brother, he knows the girl whose monkey it is, and I saw her on Facebook, so I knew who the monkey was,” Moffitt said.
Jefferson said she had her monkey, named Ice, with her on Tuesday when she pulled up near the Dollar Tree next to the summit.
She said she was only in the store for about five minutes and left a cracked window for the monkey, and when she returned the monkey was gone. She searched all around the mall and made an appeal on Facebook, even offering a reward.
AR Jordan, an employee of the store, said the monkey entered through an open back door, but at the time he thought it was a squirrel and was trying to lure it in with bread. He said he had no idea where the animal was coming from and didn’t seem to be concerned that the little primate had turned the store into a giant gym in the jungle.
“I love him. I hope he can stay here,” Jordan said. It didn’t take long for Jefferson to catch Ice. She said she was relieved to find her and grateful to the people. who found it.
Jordan was sad to see the monkey go. “It was really fun. It’s the first time I’ve seen them outside the zoo, ”Jordan said.
It is legal in Memphis and the state of Tennessee to own a small exotic animal such as a marmoset.