Banana-Sam returned shivering and hungry

You can call off the banana-scented candlelight vigils: “Banana-Sam” the squirrel monkey is back at home, safe at the SF Zoo where he belongs.

Police say Sam was found at Stern Grove, about a mile from the zoo. A bystander told police he spotted Sam emerge from some bushes and coaxed the two-pound primate into his backpack.

The Zoo said in a statement that Banana-Sam was “hungry, trembling and thirsty” after police returned him Saturday night. A later tweet said Sam was “resting” and would be back on exhibit soon.

How Banana-Sam ended up in Stern Grove — if that is actually what happened — is between and man and a monkey, for now. Police told The AP they are looking at “all possible avenues, including the bystander.”

The 17-year-old Banana-Sam fell victim to monkey business overnight Thursday when he was swiped from his cage, ostensibly by intrepid vandals. A $5,000 reward had been offered for his safe return.