What was originally a quest to respond to a hoarding complaint turned out to be a rescue operation after authorities saved a small monkey from an elderly woman's home in Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday.

After receiving a report about a neighbor involved in hoarding animals, officers from the Maricopa County sheriff's animal crimes unit immediately proceeded to a 78-year-old woman's home near 59th Avenue and Osborne Road to investigate.

Like Us on Facebook

However, what they saw when they arrived caught the officers by surprise. A single Capuchin monkey named Rickey was seen on the loose outside a severely unhealthy home in Phoenix.

Rickey was chased for hours by the Arizona Humane Society. It was finally subdued at around 11:45 a.m. after officers gave him a tranquilizer shot in preparation for its relocation.

The male monkey will be taken to primate experts at the Heritage Park Zoo in Prescott, where he can be housed and properly cared for.

Authorities identified Rickey's owner to be a 78-year-old woman with hoarding disorders.

Neighbors confirmed that she has admitted to hoarding animals in the past. At present, however, her house is now only filled with pests, such as roaches and mice, as well as the lonely Capuchin monkey.

Experts who examined the primate declared that the monkey is in good shape despite its living conditions.

Maricopa County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Lafko confirmed the poor quality of the monkey's living environment.

"It's not about the condition of the monkey. It's condition of living was unsuitable," he stated, explaining that they saw 2 to 4 feet of trash near Rickey's cage.

The home had also piles of several food items, furniture in disarray, and small mountains of trash all over. After receiving a call from the old woman's neighbors a week ago, officers from the sheriff's office obtained a search warrant for the operation.

Capuchin monkeys are small primates that grow to a length ranging from 12 to 22 inches with their tails as long as their bodies.

TagsCapuchin monkey, Phoenix, hoarder, rescue, poor living conditions