Trapper using monkey to lure loose macaque

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A Florida trapper said he will attempt to ensnare a monkey on the loose since January 2009 by presenting him with a potential friend.

Vernon Yates, who was hired by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to attempt to catch the elusive rhesus macaque in the Tampa Bay area, said 1-year-old monkey Doc will be placed in a custom-designed trap and will be given fruit to snack on, the Tampa Bay Times reported Tuesday.

"He's not a solitary creature; he's a social creature and he needs his own kind," Yates said. "If he sees another monkey in the cage eating, then he's going to assume that it's safe and hopefully he'll go in the cage and get trapped."

Yates said the method has previously proven effective in capturing chickens and roosters, but he has never tested it on a monkey.

Officials said efforts to capture the monkey were ramped up in recent weeks after it bit a woman.