HERFORD COLLEGE, N.C. -- A woman tried to pet a customer's monkey when it latched onto her face and scratched her.
Brooke Ross was working at the Family Food Mart in Rutherford College, N.C., on Sunday when a man walked up to the counter with a monkey on his shoulder. It hopped down onto the counter and Ross, who said she thought the 18-inch-tall animal was cute, reached to pet him.
In the blink of an eye the monkey attacked, biting her cheek just below her right eye.
"It bit the top of my eyelid and it just kind of latched onto my cheek," she said.
She said the monkey's owner helped her put a Band-Aid on her bleeding face, hastily said the animal was up-to-date on its shots and then left. He didn't leave his name.
A number of things are wrong here:
---Ross should not have reached out to pet the monkey. It's always a risk to touch an unfamiliar animal.
---The monkey's owner should not have left the store without leaving his name. It's like leaving the scene of an accident.
---Monkeys and other animals should not be jumping around on check-out counters.
...Burke County Animal Control officers spent several hours early Tuesday trying to track down the monkey. They showed Ross photographs of pets in the county and she was able to pick out the offender.
Here are some photos of the attacker:
Animal Control confirmed that the monkey had been given all its required shots. It had not received a rabies shot, but officers told her they don't think that's a problem because the animal never really went outdoors.
Ross is taking a round of antibiotics after the attack and said she plans to stay away from monkeys from now on.
"I really don't like any kind of animal right now," Ross said.
Monkeys can carry rabies, measles, tuberculosis, salmonella and a potentially fatal form of herpes.
It's good the monkey's shots were up to date. But why didn't it get a rabies shot? That seems odd.
And the monkey does go outdoors. It was at the Family Food Mart!
It's not exactly a house monkey.
I hope Ross doesn't run into any complications.
I think the Family Food Mart should consider enacting a new policy:
No Shoes
No Shirt
Monkey
No Service
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