Location: Millaa Millaa, Queensland
Date: April 16, 1995
Date of report: April 22, 1995
Source: The Cairns Post
Witnesses: Ron Sackley
Wildlife experts will keep an open mind over a reported monkey sighting west of Millaa Millaa, last weekend. Representatives from the Department of Primary Industries and Environment and Heritage searched the 40ha property extensively during the week on two occasions but failed to find evidence to support the claim.
Edmonton resident Ron Sackley and his wife reported spotting the monkey 12 metres up in a tree while they were looking at a block of land for sale in the region on Sunday. Mr Sackley said the grey-brown monkey watched him for two or three minutes before it stood up and walked back into the canopy. He described the animal as having long arms and a round face.
DPI veteran Ian Peebles said he and DEH wildlife expert Brett Vincent had found no trace of the animals but noted it as a “suspected sighting.” There was a chance that the couple who reported the creature had seen a tree kangaroo or a glider Possum, despite the discrepancy in description.
Paul Cropper who personally investigated the sighting reports: I interviewed Ron Shackley concerning his recent sighting. He had been inspecting a property with his wife and four year old child on Easter Sunday (April 16). The property was located on Middlebrook Rd, about 7kn outside Milla Milla in the direction of Ravenshoe.
Ron and his wife had entered the deserted property though a gate and stopped in an area fringed by a mix of scrub and rain forest. As the looked around, Ron noticed an animal about 13 metres away amongst the branches of a tree. The tree stood slightly down slope, so that although he animal was sitting about 7 metres up in the tree it was roughly at eye level. He called his wife, and they both watched the creature for several minutes.
Ron stated the animal reminded him of a monkey. It was covered in browny-grey fur or hair, and this hair also completely fringed its round, flat face. There was a circle of lighter coloured hair on the face, and its eyes appeared black. It had no characteristic apes muzzle. Ron could see from about the hips to its shoulders, and this appeared a length of about .6 of a metre. Its trunk appeared lean but solid and no legs were visible. Its hair was rather furry.
The creature appeared to be eating, and it sat quietly watching Ron for 3-4 minutes. It occasionally raised a long, slender, metre long arm and helped itself to more food. Finally, the animal turned sideways and walked off in a stooped position further into the canopy.
Ron was told by an investigating Cairns wildlife officer that there had been other monkey reports near Ravenshoe.
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