Squirrel Monkey 'Banana Sam' Stolen From San Francisco Zoo

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) – San Francisco Zoo officials are asking for the public's help after a monkey was stolen from an exhibit overnight.

Friday morning zoo staff discovered a 17-year-old male squirrel monkey, "Banana Sam," was missing from an exhibit that had been breached by vandals, according to a statement released by the zoo.

Banana-Sam weighs approximately 2 pounds and is more than a foot tall, zoo officials said.

Despite the monkey's small and cute appearance, it should not be handled as a pet because it has extremely sharp teeth and "will definitely bite if provoked," officials said in the statement.

According to zoo officials, the vandals cut a perimeter gate overnight and climbed on top of a roof sheltering five primate exhibits. The vandals cut two holes into the mesh of the squirrel monkey exhibit.

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