Pet monkey escapes, terrorizes Florida neighborhood

GlobalPost

What's worse than loud neighbors? Neighbors who keep monkeys as pets. A pet monkey in Sanford, Florida escaped his owner's cage and terrorized the neighborhood on Sunday, WABC reported.

The monkey, a 4-year-old named Zeke, ran from house to house, destroying property and trying to hurt residents that dared to venture outside. "He actually came up and jumped up and tried to bite my arm right here. And his last tooth just kind of nicked it," resident Jason Diel told ABC News. Zeke also jumped on a police car and ate part of a satellite dish. 

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Sanford resident Samuel Boyleston told News 13 NOW that he was trying to walk to Blockbuster when Zeke saw him and ran after him. Boyleston had to run into a neighbor's porch and ask to be let inside. "I kicked it because it charged at me,” Boyleston told the station.

Zeke's owner, Jeff Jacques, has the proper paperwork to keep the monkey legally as a pet, but this has been the second time that Zeke escaped. Jacques promises to take Zeke to an animal refuge center today, ABC reported. Reports do not indicate whether or not Jacques will reimburse residents for the property damage. 

The news comes after another monkey in California, which was kept illegally as a pet, bit its owners arm and fingers, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The monkey lived on a diet of frosted flakes. 

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