Home Depot employee attacked by spider monkey
The animal's owner was shopping inside the store.
A Home Depot employee in Okeechobee, Florida claims she was attacked by a customer’s pet spider monkey on Monday.
During her break, Marilyn Howard stepped outside. That’s when she spotted a spider monkey, with a leash on, roaming around the store’s parking lot. The monkey allegedly escaped from its owner’s truck while they were inside the store.
Howard decided to approach the monkey, afraid that it would get hurt otherwise. At first, the animal appeared to be friendly.
“When it grabbed my hand I just fell in love because I just love animals,” she told FOX13.
Howard then walked the monkey toward the front of the store, waiting there until its owner returned. But as the store’s sliding doors opened, the monkey was frightened and reportedly jumped on Howard, biting her on the arm. It also grabbed her hair and lunged off the side of her body, landing in the store’s entrance.
At that point, Howard panicked and ran after the monkey. She caught it, but not without a fight: The Home Depot employee also suffered scratches and bite marks to her face and body, according to FOX13.
Howard said she “cried for the first 24 hours” after the attack.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is now investigating the incident. So far, no charges have been filed, ABC25 reported.
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