Monkeys in Florida? 🙉🙊🙈 . The first recorded introduction of monkeys in Florida occurred along the Silver River in the 1930s in what is now Silver Springs State Park. A commercial river boat captain, Colonel Tooey, released approximately six rhesus macaques on an island in the Silver River in an effort to increase tourism. Rhesus macaques are excellent swimmers, which allowed them to swim to the forest and begin breeding. By the 1980s, their numbers reached around 400 animals. . . . . #florid