Abducted squirrel monkey and Twitter sensation Banana Sam has been returned, only slightly worse for wear, to the San Francisco Zoo. The 17-year-old, 2-pound monkey was found Saturday evening by someone in Stern Grove, who managed to coax him into a backpack and return him to the zoo, where zookeepers say he was hungry, cold, and shaking but otherwise fine and uninjured. As Banana Sam's Twitter alter-ego wrote on New Year's Day, "The zoo said, I was 'hungry, trembling, and thirsty' when I got back. JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE THIS MORNING RIGHT?!!" Also, he added, "That's the last time I ever crawl into someone's backpack who says we're going to an 'awesome party, dude.'"

The $5,000 reward for Banana Sam's safe return has not yet been paid out. Sam is resting safely out of the public view today, but zoo officials say he will hopefully return to the exhibit with his 17 squirrel monkey pals soon. No word on how the zoo may mark Banana Sam so that his many fans who will likely want to visit will be able to tell him apart.

As for the Twitter account, it lives on, for now. "Gonna try and get Lifetime to make a movie about my escape," writes Banana Sam. "Maybe 'The Day the Screeching Stopped'?"

[Twitter/SF_BananaSam]
[Chron]
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