HEMPSTEAD - The runaway wildfire that's been declared the worst in East Texas history after destroying dozens of homes and scorching 19,000 acres was expected to be a major challenge.

But authorities never dreamed they also would be chasing runaway monkeys.

Ten small Capuchin monkeys from South America, popularized by such movies as Pirates of the Caribbean, were freed from their cages in a monkey wildlife sanctuary in Waller County last week when the couple running the establishment was ordered to evacuate.

The pair were forced to leave quickly because the raging fire was at their back door, said Waller County animal control officer Don Jones.

Since then, the cuddly-looking monkeys with humanlike faces have proved to be elusive and even threatening. A game warden trying to lure one with candy had to be treated at a hospital for a bite-wound on her thumb.

While these monkeys have an alluring charm, they also have large sharp teeth. They are fast, have fingers nimble enough to turn the pages of a book, and can jump 9 feet into a tree.

When the tri-county fire abated, the sanctuary owners returned home to find that seven of the monkeys had returned to their pens while three remained at-large, Jones said.

Animal destroyed

The game warden, whose name was not released, was searching the burn zone for distressed animals Sunday morning when one of the monkeys was spotted.

"She (the game warden) had been warned not to feed it," Jones said.

But she was eating a candy bar and decided to toss a small piece to it and then climbed into her vehicle, said veterinarian Dr. Wendell Baker, who later examined the primate.

The monkey jumped in with her, bit her and took the candy, said Dr. Baker.

Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesman Mike Cox said the game warden had seen the monkey in a tree and had been trying to lure it to a trap on the ground.

After the confrontation, the monkey proved to be a slippery adversary. Over the next four days officials tried to capture it by snaring it with a fishing net, enticing it into a trap with fruit and shooting it with a tranquilizer gun.

"But we never could get close enough to tranquilize it," Jones said.

So finally a Grimes County sheriff's deputy was authorized to euthanize the monkey. The wiry escape artist had been spotted just outside the fire zone near the intersection of County Road 302 and FM 1774 in that county.

Authorities identified him as the aggressive monkey because he had a shoulder wound and his tail had been bobbed.

"He had jumped on a tractor and then scrambled up a tree when the officer shot him," said Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell.

Checking for diseases

"I hated to see him die unnecessarily, but he had been aggressive and posed too much of a public hazard," Sowell said.

Since monkeys are known to carry diseases, his body was transported to Baker's veterinary clinic in Waller County for examination and rabies testing.

"It looks cute, but you can see that his teeth are large and sharp," said Baker, after the examination. Test results will not be available for several days.

Meanwhile, Baker's clinic is providing a temporary home for 47 displaced cats, dogs, horses and other critters until their owners can be found.

One guest being cared for by Houston SPCA volunteers is a kitten with its paws bandaged after walking through the fire. Four miniature donkeys are also lodgers.

Authorities say dozens of other animals are roaming the burn zone. Since they don't appear to be in immediate danger, officers haul food and water to stations around the area.

"Our main objective is to reconnect the animals with their owners," said Tara Yurkshat, a Houston SPCA volunteer.

Two of the sanctuary's monkeys remain on the loose.

cindy.horswell@chron.com