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Wandering Florida monkey raids bird feeder

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TAMPA BAY, Fla., April 12 (UPI) -- A monkey that has been loose in Florida's Tampa Bay area for more than a year was videotaped raiding a bird feeder for fistfuls of seed.

Rick Coffey of St. Petersburg said he initially thought the animal in his back yard Saturday was a cat, but he soon realized it was a monkey and videotaped it scooping bird seed out of the feeder and feasting on the pilfered food, the St. Petersburg Times reported Monday.

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The monkey, which wildlife officials said is believed to be a young male rhesus macaque, has been the target of a hunt by authorities for more than a year. The origins of the animal are unknown, but investigators said it may have been an abandoned pet or it may have split from a group of wild monkeys in a state park near Ocala, Fla.

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