Sightings of various animals in Central Florida over the years: including a bear at Disney and a cobra found in a clothes dryer

ORLANDO, Fla. – On Tuesday, News 6 spoke with an Orange City tour guide on how he spotted a strange monkey while he was out on the river.

As we anticipate the confirmation of the species by state officials, let’s reminisce about a few other remarkable animal encounters that Central Florida has experienced in the past.

Here are some of the highlights:

Zeke, the 4-year-old pigtail macaque, became too large and strong for his cage, according to its owner Jeff Jaques.

This led to Zeke running around a Sanford neighborhood, leading police to search for him for hours. He was later found and was placed into a secure refuge, police said. Check out the story to see how Zeke was found.

Nearly 10 years ago, the Satellite Beach Fire Department was tasked with rescuing 19 manatees that were stuck in a storm drain.

All of them survived and were returned to the Indian River Lagoon system. City workers found the sea cows in the pipe after residents who live nearby reported that some of the manatees they used to see were missing. Check out the story to see how the manatees got in and out of the pipe.

The 8-foot venomous snake Elvis went missing early September in 2015, its owner Mike Kennedy shared with News 6 nearly a decade ago.

Elvis, the king cobra, was found a month later, about a quarter mile away from where he was reported missing — in a dryer. The woman who found him told Orange County Animal Services she was putting clothes in her dryer and heard a hissing sound.

This story sounds like a knock-off of the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, and in my opinion it is as scary as “The Birds.”

Residents of the Whispering Oaks neighborhood told News 6 how a hawk attacked them. They mentioned the predatory bird had a nest in the tree outside of their home and was probably just trying to protect their young. However, hawks’ nests are protected by law – so, see what officials said on how to stay safe during these encounters.

A little more than a year ago, guests walked into Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to find a portion of the park closed. Little did they know, it was a bear spotted in a tree near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad that caused the closure. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists said they believed the bear was looking for food.

“No ticket, no entry. You don’t get free rides,” a FWC official said during the capture.

FWC and Disney officials captured the bear and released it to the Ocala National Forest, officials said.

In October, the Pierson community and Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood were looking for a kangaroo out on the loose.

Chitwood said in a Facebook post that the kangaroo escaped its enclosure after being spooked by a bear. According to FWC officials, the kangaroo returned to its home a month later and the owner was cited for three violations.

Do you have any stories of wild animal encounters? Let us know, email us at [email protected].