St. Petersburg, Florida -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says they have caught a monkey that has been on the lam in St. Petersburg for two years.

The FWC tells 10 News they were able to shoot the monkey with a tranquilizer. The animal was then transported to a veterinarian's office in Safety Harbor for evaluation and testing.

Photo Gallery: Pictures of the monkey on the loose
More Pictures: First pics of the monkey in captivity

The monkey has been a mainstay in Tampa Bay for several years. It is thought the rhesus macaque escaped from a small colony of monkeys that live in Silver Springs.

It became a bit of a celebrity, getting its own Facebook page, and even being featured on Comedy Central's Colbert Report. But a new sense of urgency came to capturing the slippery simian after it attacked a St. Petersburg grandmother earlier this month.

Traps with bananas were set, but the monkey managed to steal the bananas without getting caught. Wildlife expert Vernon Yates, who has been trying to catch the animal since it was first spotted in 2009, was called in by the FWC to try to lure it with a second monkey in a cage.

SEE ALSO: What's next for the mystery monkey?

In the end, it was patience and persistence that paid off. Wildlife officials tell CBS News they were able to finally nab the monkey after a three-hour stakeout near a wooded area in a south St. Pete neighborhood.

"We concealed ourselves in the area," said Baryl Martin, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, "and we waited for the monkey to approach."

Then the monkey was shot with a tranquilizer dart. 

Martin, along with Yates and a veterinarian, waited for the effects of the tranquilizer to set in. But the monkey made a run for it.

"When we got closer it tried to evade us," Martin said. "We chased it about 50 to 100 yards."

The trio briefly chased the monkey through the woods before Yates grabbed it with his hand and a catch pole. 

"He settled down quite a bit after we got our hands on him," Martin said.

"In some ways I'll give him credit," Yates told CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman last week about the primate's days on the run. "He knows not to get up into power lines. He'll run to a road, he stops and looks both ways for traffic before he runs across it. This is one of the most intelligent monkeys that I think I have ever seen."

---

You May Also Like...

Bikini Photos: 2012 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant

Monkey on her back: "Mystery Monkey" attacks woman

Sex Offender Search: Look up Florida Sex Offenders here

Yowtch! Teen accidentally shoots off his penis, testicle

PHOTOS: NFL Cheerleaders

Cheerleader sex: Former Ben-Gal pleads guilty to sex with teen

Star Sick: Justin Bieber throws up on stage during concert

Amazing Survival: Poodle hit by car, goes on 11-mile ride in grill

PHOTOS: George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin crime scene pics

Not a good idea: Woman rides on top of manatee

Yearbook mug shot: Teen who posed in racy yearbook photos busted for underage drinking

Bikinis, mud, trucks: The Redneck Yacht Club

Photos: Ex-Charlie Sheen Goddess Bree Olson

Naughty Schoolgirls: Naughty schoolgirl night at Tampa club pictures

Sting: 31 pimps and prostitutes arrested (with pics)

Outrageous mug shot galleries...

Strange: Some of the most unusual mug shots we've seen

Notorious Women: Bad girls behind bars

Teachers: Teacher arrest mugshots

Jaw droppers: Open mouth mug shots

Smilers: Happy mug shots

Laughers: What's so funny mug shots

Prostitutes: Prostitute mug shots

Athletes: Professional athlete mug shots 

Porn arrests: Child porn arrest mug shots 

Local Mugs: Hillsborough County Mug shots

More unusual mug shots and galleries: 10 News slideshows and galleries