Mystery monkey caught after 2 years on the lam

[October 25, 2012]  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A wild monkey that bit a woman and was on the lam in St. Petersburg, Florida, for two years has been captured.

Authorities say a wildlife official shot the monkey with a tranquilizer dart Wednesday. The monkey then went into the woods and trappers were able to grab it. He was taken to an animal hospital for a checkup.

The monkey eluded capture for years as it roamed neighborhoods. It even has a Facebook page and most recently bit a woman, causing trappers to ramp up their efforts to capture him.

Animal trapper Vernan Yates had been hired by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservative Commission to catch the rhesus macaque. It wasn't immediately known if he was with wildlife officials when the monkey was captured.

[Associated Press]

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