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    This is the week for wild animals to paint the town red. First we had the rouge peacock of Queens, N.Y., and now the mystery monkey of Tampa Bay, Fla. According to Discovery, a male macaque has been calling the Florida city home for three to four years, but locals are still unsure where the animal came from.

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    At first, many thought the macaque was an escaped exotic pet, but officials believe the monkey is more of a drifter. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission have concluded that the furry visitor probably wandered off from a small group of wild macaques living in a forest about 100 miles away from the city. These animals have been inhabiting that area for close to 80 years. 

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    While the Tampa Bay mystery monkey may be riding solo, he has made a few friends. For the past few years, a neighborhood couple has been feeding the animal whenever he appears in their backyard. The snack sessions started off with a banana or peanut here and there, but have now grown into a smorgasbord of Oreos, nuts, grapes and more. As a result, the monkey has gained close to 10 pounds and earned the nickname Banana Butt.

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    The well-padded monkey has also befriended other members of the community by stopping in at fast-food joints and church parking lots. Overall, he has enjoyed a positive reception from locals, becoming a mascot for the city with his own Facebook page that has more than 80,000 likes. 

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    Luckily, the mystery monkey hasn't been involved in any violent incidents. Some officials are still concerned that the macaque poses a threat to the population, since he is a wild animal. 

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    Next: Meet Highest Paid Monkey Actor

    This isn't Florida's only metropolitan monkey issue. A troop of vervet monkeys have been lurking around a Motel 6 in Fort Lauderdale for years, adopting a raccoon into their rag-tag animal gang. For now, monkeys vacationing in Florida remain free to soak up the sun.