Wild monkeys sweeping across Florida blamed on Tarzan

There are more than 100-thousand wild rhesus monkeys roaming the sunshine state, all decended from six monkeys released during the filming of TARZAN, some 74 years ago.

The businessman who brought them to Monkey Island in the Silver River State Park near Ocala, wanted to capitalize on the success of Tarzan. He didn’t realize the monkeys could swim, they escaped, and now there are more than 100-thousand in north central Florida.

Florida policy is usually to eliminate any feral species - but, in an ironic twist to the businessman's original plan, the monkeys are now attracting tourists across the state.