The Shaved Monkey Incident of 1953: West Virginia’s Strangest “Alien” Encounter

The 1950s were a golden age for UFO sightings and alien paranoia. The Cold War was in full swing, America was obsessed with science fiction, and reports of strange lights in the sky were making headlines across the country. But one of the most bizarre extraterrestrial encounters of the decade didn’t involve flying saucers, mysterious Men in Black, or little green men.

Instead, it involved a shaved monkey.

Yes, you read that correctly. In 1953, in Wheeling, West Virginia, a frantic family believed they had discovered an alien being in their backyard. Their terror soon turned to embarrassment—and then to pure confusion—when they realized the “alien” was actually a completely hairless monkey. But how did it get there? And why was it shaved in the first place?

The mystery of the Shaved Monkey Incident remains one of the strangest and most hilarious events in West Virginia folklore. Let’s dive into the details of this bizarre case of mistaken identity, the theories behind it, and why some people still believe there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

The Discovery: When an “Alien” Landed in Wheeling

The story begins on an ordinary night in 1953. A family in Wheeling—whose names have been lost to history—was inside their home when they heard strange noises coming from their backyard. Nervous but curious, they grabbed a flashlight and stepped outside to investigate.

That’s when they saw it.

According to reports, a strange, small creature was moving around in the darkness. Its skin appeared pale and wrinkled, it had large, staring eyes, and its movements were jerky and unnatural. To the terrified family, it looked like nothing they had ever seen before.

“It’s an Alien!”

As panic set in, one of them screamed for help, and the entire family scrambled to get away from the mysterious being. Some reports suggest that they called the police, while others claim they alerted neighbors, who arrived with weapons, ready to fight off an extraterrestrial invader.

For a brief moment, chaos erupted in Wheeling. Was this a visitor from another world? Had a spaceship landed somewhere nearby? The imagination ran wild.

And then—someone took a closer look.

What they had assumed to be an alien being from the depths of space turned out to be something far more terrestrial:

A completely shaved monkey.

The Aftermath: The Monkey Mystery Deepens

With the tension broken, the terrified humans-turned-monkey-rescuers found themselves in an entirely new mystery:

Why was a shaved monkey loose in Wheeling, WV?

And who shaved it in the first place?

The animal, likely as confused as the people who had just been screaming in terror, was captured, and people began to speculate how it ended up in a residential backyard.

Theories: Where Did the Shaved Monkey Come From?

To this day, no one has ever officially solved the mystery of the shaved monkey. But that hasn’t stopped locals and historians from developing a few intriguing theories.

1. A Cruel Prank Gone Too Far

One of the most widely accepted explanations is that the monkey was part of a prank that got out of hand.

The 1950s were full of fraternity hazing rituals, circus mishaps, and pranksters looking for a good laugh. Could someone have shaved a monkey as a joke and released it into the wild to freak out an unsuspecting family?

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a practical joke went too far—though this one might be one of the weirdest.

2. A Lab Experiment Escapee

Another popular theory is that the monkey had escaped from a research facility.

At the time, the U.S. government and private laboratories were conducting a variety of experiments on primates, including tests related to space travel, disease research, and psychological studies. The idea of a shaved lab monkey escaping from a testing facility isn’t far-fetched.

However, there was no official record of a missing research monkey in the Wheeling area—at least, not one that was ever made public.

3. A Circus or Sideshow Monkey on the Loose

In the 1950s, small traveling circuses and sideshows often brought exotic animals to rural towns. These operations weren’t always well-regulated, and animals occasionally escaped.

Some have speculated that the shaved monkey belonged to a circus performer or an animal act that had passed through town. If that were true, it’s possible that the owners never reported it missing—either because they didn’t want to admit they lost a monkey, or because the show had already moved on to another state.

4. A UFO Connection?

While most people agree that the Shaved Monkey Incident was a case of mistaken identity, some UFO enthusiasts aren’t convinced.

Could the shaved monkey have been a failed alien hybrid experiment? Could it have been dropped off by extraterrestrial visitors as part of some bizarre test?

As far-fetched as it sounds, some conspiracy theorists still argue that the presence of a hairless, confused primate in Wheeling was no coincidence.

Legacy of the Shaved Monkey Incident

Even though the mystery remains unsolved, the Shaved Monkey Incident of 1953 has become a legendary piece of West Virginia folklore.

While less famous than cryptids like the Mothman or the Flatwoods Monster, the story has taken on a life of its own, with locals recounting the tale as one of the strangest cases of mistaken identity in paranormal history.

Pop Culture Influence

The story has been referenced in UFO discussion forums, books on Appalachian folklore, and even local comedy shows.

Some West Virginia towns even joke about adopting the “Shaved Monkey” as a mascot—though that hasn’t happened… yet.

Conclusion: A Mystery That Still Makes Us Laugh

The Shaved Monkey Incident remains one of the most delightfully weird stories in American history.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the most terrifying encounters are just hilarious misunderstandings—and that West Virginia is home to some of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear.

Whether the monkey was a runaway lab experiment, a cruel prank, or just a very confused ex-circus performer, one thing is certain:

For one brief night in 1953, a terrified family thought they were making first contact with an alien race… only to discover that they were just really, really bad at identifying primates.

And honestly? That might make it even better.