Great Plains Zoo monkey undergoes surgery after a discarded bottle cap got stuck in his mouth

A monkey named Kai underwent surgery Oct. 17 after a bottle cap got stuck in his cheek.

A Japanese macaque monkey at Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is recovering from surgery after a bottle top discarded in his enclosure got embedded in his cheek.

The zoo posted on social media that Kai picked up a bottle top that had been tossed into the monkey exhibit and tucked it in his cheek pouch. Over time, the bottle cap wore its way through his cheek and needed to be surgically removed.

The zoo said that Kai is recovering after undergoing surgery October 17.

"Despite the careful, meticulous work of our veterinary team, he will bear the scars of this experience," the zoo wrote.

The zoo reminded visitors that it's never okay to throw objects in animals' enclosures and to immediately notify a zoo employee if you drop something in an enclosure by accident.