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James Borchuck / Tampa Bay Times
The mysterious monkey was spotted on Wednesday afternoon.
A woman who fended off an attack by a celebrity simian known as the 'Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay' was recovering from her injuries on Wednesday as authorities searched for the wild animal, Florida wildlife officials said.
The woman, who said she didn’t want her name to be released, was reportedly sitting on her front porch on Monday when the monkey jumped on her back and began scratching and gnawing on her skin. She reached behind, grabbed the monkey’s leg and tossed him in to the bushes before he ran off, Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the Tampa Bay Times.
"She could hear the clicking of teeth," the woman's daughter told the newspaper, who said she was inside cooking when she heard her mother scream.
The woman suffered several puncture wounds and scratches and was taken to the hospital, where doctors gave her shots to prevent infections.
Tampa Bay Times, file
Florida wildlife officials are on the hunt for the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay, a wild rhesus macaque, which has garnered national attention.
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The monkey, which has gained notoriety in recent years after numerous sightings throughout the area, is a 40-pound wild rhesus macaque, which officials believe may have been cast out of a colony in Silver Springs near Ocala, Fla.
Officials in the area were attempting to track and trap the monkey Wednesday morning. Morse said they will try to trap the monkey alive, but given the attack it’s possible that trappers will have to kill it, he said.
Residents say the monkey has never been aggressive until now, the Times reported.
Officials said in the past year, the monkey has settled quietly into the area where residents have given him food despite warnings from authorities about coming into contact with the animal.
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“The public was warned about the dangers of feeding this animal,” Morse told the Times. “It is a shame that it has come to this. Human kindness and food cannot overcome millions of years of genetic evolution.”
The monkey has become something of a celebrity, the Tampa Bay Times reported. A Facebook page for the mystery monkey has been featured on Comedy Central’s "Colbert Report" and in a National Geographic special.
Officials are asking anyone who sees the monkey to stay away and call police immediately.
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Leave a Comment:
Rabid zombie monkey apocalypse!
Oh those are the worst kind. Much worse than the old Stalking Vampire Monkey Apocalypse.
I hope the poor woman doesn't get in trouble for standing her ground.
Stop. You are scaring me with your doomsday talk. You are completely insensitive to those of us who have actually been stalked by vampire monkeys. And you joke, but the Vampire Monkey Apocalypse is real. You will learn all about it by reading the books of Mickey, Davey(RIP), Peter, and Mike(chapters 1-4).
Get serious. She wasn't STALKING the monkey.
I live in the area and if I ever see this monkey I will NOT call anyone. I don't believe that this monkey just came up to the woman and attacked her like she said happened.
Spellchecker as usual I bow to your superior intellect and knowledge.
Miss lydia ,your nuts another invasive species that has no business in Florida or the US .The harm these animals do to birds and indeginous species is massive .The animal should be shot and move on to the Colony from hence came and do the same. I fail to understand why Fish and Wildlife permits them to exist,aren't giant constrictors and lizards enough?
I certainly hope they tranquilize this monkey and relocate it instead of shooting it. I have my doubts about the story this woman is telling. It would be a shame for this animal to have to die when it likely did not attack for no reason. Rhesus Macaques are not known to be naturally aggressive towards humans. This is borne out by the fact that this monkey has been living in the area for years and never attacked anyone before. My guess is that she was feeding this monkey despite the warnings by officials not to do so and somehow provoked the attack. She may have been eating something and thought it would be cute to give the monkey some and the monkey decided it wanted more and she did not give it. More often than not, when a wild animal attacks a person the person has done something to provoke it.
strega - The most invasive species that have harm native birds and indeginous species (including indeginous people) are the Europeans. All was in natural balance and beautiful before Columbus.
"Miss Lydia
I live in the area and if I ever see this monkey I will NOT call anyone. I don't believe that this monkey just came up to the woman and attacked her like she said happened."
I agree this story sounds fishy. There is no reason in the world for a monkey to sneak up on a human and attack it. On top of that they are VERY strong and if it was attacking her she would not have been able to "grab a leg and throw it" I call BS.
Give it a good spankin.
Maybe she was RH negative.
It may just be another crotchety old monkey retiring to St. Pete. I went to school with quite a few of them that are already there.
Since politics has not been brought up yet...It was probably either a Rhepublican or a Demomacaque.
Chupacabra.
Now there's a monkey that deserves a good spanking.
Don't you know you're gonna shock the monkey...
it's burp the weasel not shock the monkey
Of course this happened in Florida. You can see with all the recent stories where this is going, bath salts baboons, stand your ground gorillas, zombie bingo raiding bonoboes, and chimichaunga eating chimps. The burmese pythons are our ownly hope ! ''Keep your hands off my social security check. You damned dirty ape ". Florida is a " mad house ". Charlton Heston tried to warn us, but that young kid from " 127 Hours " wouldn't listen.
You're right, Jim ledden; every day is Bizzaro Day in Florida. (And this time no one can say that other cities have crazies on bath salts or child murdering mothers or cockroach eating deaths. We don't have wild, feral monkeys where I live--or cockroach eating contests either, or anyone who eats anyone's face off while hopped on bath salts, now that I think about it. How about where you live?
So Annie "Every day is Bizzaro day in Fl"? Start ready your own states news and I think you'll find it on par with FL or any other State.
The monkey was 7 ft tall and left big footprints in the mud.
Hopefully she was unemployed. Otherwise, she'd have to make the following phone call:
"I can't come in today because I got attacked by a monkey. No really. In my yard. No, not mine. I don't know where it came from. He just jumped on me from behind, and suddently I had a monkey on my back. Well, I threw him in the bushes and he ran off. What do you mean don't come in tomorrow or the next day?"
Too funny. Made my day. Still laughing...
Priceless Styro! Thanks for the laugh. As a boss I may have to re-think it if someone calls in with this excuse. Although we live in California so no wild monkeys...that I know of anyway.
There are escaped parrots and parakeets in the southern portion of CA.
"monkey on my back." GOOD ONE! lol
Someones Trunk Monkey got loose...either that, or she has some IRS issues.
well if they trap or kill it thats one less obama voter.
Oh, really? I was just thinking that Laura and the twins left George in Tampa Bay because he was throwing poop at Uncle Dick and screeching "I'm the decider, I'm the decider."
Both of the above posts...You guys have got too much politics on your brain. All the other posts were funny, yours, ick. This election has the feel of a high school popluarity contest.
uncle henry:
Actually that comment was very racist and you've been reported.
It wasn't racist until you made it so. I bet the phrase "calling a spade a spade" is racist in your book too.
Don't be so rough on high school teens. Most have better eadership skills than the present leader.
* Sounds like a bunch of "monkey business" going on in Tampa. Or else the anonymous lady was having "red hot monkey love" and her husband came home too early.... *(sarcastic humor alert)
If you are familiar with the distance from Ocala, FL (Silver Springs area does have an island with a free roaming monkey habitat) and Tampa Bay area is approximately 125 + miles - a tremendous distance for a monkey to travel/migrate.
Thought that was Republican HQ... LOL
So if they were able to get a photo of it on Wednesday why didn't the photographer lead authorities to it?
Tampa has Busch Gardens, I believe they have monkeys there. Maybe not but who cares where it came from, if I'm lucky enough to see it I will throw some poop at it. Maybe not, I might do what the article said to do, shoot the monkey then call animal control to haul it away.
Sounds like someone had an illegal exotic pet that got loose.
Honestly the people that feed the monkey should be fined. It's not your average dog or house hold kitty cat, it's a wild animal. I have all the compassion in the world for animals, but humans who insist on thinking wild animals are tame like common pets are the danger and quite often the reason the animal is killed.
Sometimes I think monkeys are smarter than humans. Stupid azz people.
It was in my neighboorhood (Palm Harbor, FL) about a year ago.
It would be nice if they could capture it alive, so as to avoid killing it.
There are questions as to whether this was the same monkey as the Mystery Monkey.
Snookie has moved to FL!!
Chilled monkey brain dessert anyone? I hear that it's less toxic than all-you-can-eat cockroach cocktail. It's all on the menu in FL.
It was the Super Worm chaser that did Cockroach Boy in.
It had nothing to do with the courage gained from the unprescribed medications purchased from the free-lance pharmacists on the street corners.
Its obvious that monkey needs a good spanking!
it was trying to mate.
Zoom Zoom Monkey!
Was the monkey GOP or Dem? LOL C'mon now, somebody try to blame this on Obama. How about Bush, seems like his mentality?
His brother was Governor, ......... maybe lost during a visit.
Can't blame it on obama. Last time there was a relationship made between monkeys and obama there was a big uproar about racism. But when the same analogies were drawn between bush and monkeys there was nary a peep about racist comments.
The don't have to kill it as there is such a thing as a tranquizer dart.
How do you know that? It might be a secret zombie formula.
Shoot the little SOB!
It's George Allen's long-lost son!
22 caliber rifle will end the mystery...
"Human kindness and food cannot overcome millions of years of genetic evolution." LOL That is applicable to a lot of people as well !!!!
All I can think about is the Evil Monkey from Family Guy. He got a smile only a mother could love.
Someone needs to see that this woman is put on acyclovir or other similar antiviral drug. This monkey probably has herpesvirus B which can be a real problem when it crosses species into humans. Ron D. NEPRC
Whatever an NEPRC is I'm sure you're the expert.
@rond-2802929 - finally a comment that makes sense. I was also wondering about the need for antiviral medication for the woman, only my first thought was rabies. I completely forgot about herpes. At any rate, I think there's more to this story. I agree with those who think this woman had been feeding this monkey. It makes absolutely no sense that this monkey would suddenly make a random attack on a person. Either the monkey has become ill, i.e. rabies, or this woman was or has been feeding this monkey.