SANTA ANA – Meth sometimes leads to monkey business.

A shirtless man covered with mud and claiming to be Tarzan was arrested Tuesday morning after he was found swinging from the trees and trying to get into a monkey pen at the Santa Ana Zoo, police said. He was found to be in possession and under the influence of methamphetamine.

At around 10:30 a.m., officers were called to the zoo at 1801 E. Chestnut St. by an employee reporting a disturbance, said Cmdr. Jeffrey Smith of the Santa Ana Police Department.

When officers arrived, they found the disturbance was 37-year-old John William Rodenborn.

“He was trying to get into some of the monkey enclosures,” Smith said.

Zoo Director Kent Yamaguchi said Rodenborn jumped over the safety fence that prevents people from going into the exhibits.

“We do have training for if animals ever come out of their cages, but we haven’t had people trying to go into the cages,” he said.

Rodenborn, who police said was a local transient, tried to run off when confronted by the officers and was quickly captured.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine. Smith said Rodenborn would be issued a citation and was to be released Tuesday. Court records show Rodenborn has previously pleaded guilty to burglary charges and being under the influence of drugs.

The park was open at the time of the incident, but authorities said Rodenborn did not disrupt park activities or patrons.

Yamaguchi said the monkeys weren’t disturbed, nor were their cages damaged.

The zoo is famous for its unique rule regarding primates. The land for the zoo was donated by Joseph Edward Prentice in 1952 on the condition that it house at least 50 monkeys at all times, Yamaguchi said.

“It has to be nonhuman primates,” he said, adding that Rodenborn “would not have counted.”

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