ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Traps were being set in a wooded neighborhood in south St. Petersburg, Fla., Wednesday to catch a monkey that a woman said bit her, officials said.
The wild rhesus macaque has been living peacefully in the neighborhood for more than a year and had never bitten anyone, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
A 60-year-old woman in the neighborhood said the monkey bit her on the back as she sat in her backyard Monday. When she stood up, the monkey bit her again, said Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The woman's daughter said the monkey could frequently be seen in the woods outside the home.
The attack was reported to wildlife officials Tuesday afternoon.
The monkey has eluded capture for several years. He was seen in two neighboring counties before working his way south to the area at the tip of Pinellas County.
He is believed to have come from a colony in Silver Springs, about 120 miles north near Ocala.
The monkey has become a rarely seen celebrity, the newspaper said. A Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay page has been set up on Facebook, and his situation has been featured on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and National Geographic.
