A DOG walker from Launceston didn’t monkey around on Wednesday, February 27, when he was faced with an unusual challenge — capturing a Marmoset stuck up a tree in Coronation Park.

Martin Barnes from Launceston lives close to the park and regularly walks his Westie ‘Jess’ there, but Wednesday evening’s walk was like no other. He said: “It was arguably one of the most random dog walks I’ve ever been on. I was taking my Westie Jess for a walk like normal when she started going mad — she thought it was a giant squirrel.

“I could see two girls over by the trees and they were making very peculiar noises. I went over to see what was going on and the two 12-year-old girls said they were trying to catch their Marmoset.”

Martin couldn’t believe what he was hearing and wondered if it was some elaborate joke. He said: “At first I didn’t believe them but then I looked up and there is was, sitting in the tree...a Marmoset.”

Martin established that the primate, which the girls said they and their mother were intending to take to a monkey sanctuary, had been missing for two days after it bolted out an open window. The two girls had been trying to coax it down and into an open pillow case, but to no avail — enter Martin, the monkey whisperer. He said: “I don’t know if it was my voice being smooth and deeper than the girls’ but he seemed to be drawn to me — I know it sounds strange but he was.”

Martin contacted Castle Veterinary Group to gain some advice, but was cut short when he saw an illusive opportunity to capture the monkey: “He came down a little closer and was making a clicking noise — it was like he was talking to me. I then saw my chance and as his massive dangling tail was hanging down near me I grabbed him and pulled him out of the tree.”

Martin said one of the young girls shouted ‘I don’t know what to do’ so he asked her to open up the pillow case she was holding and he gently placed the Marmoset inside. Martin added: “The girls bundled him up in the pillow case and bolted, I wasn’t able to find out their names.”

A little bemused by the situation Martin continued on his way after an extraordinary experience, later visiting Castle Veterinary Group to pick up some medication for Jess where the vets were eager to discover the truth behind what had been a very unusual phone call.