Monkeys Displaced by Texas Fire Cause Havoc

Sept. 13, 2011
WALLER COUNTY, Texas -- A group of pet rhesus monkeys are on the loose in Waller County. Some of them are even turning violent. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials said one of their game wardens, Karin Apple, was bitten by one of the monkeys. Apple was assisting wildfire evacuees Sunday morning when she saw a monkey up in a tree. She tried to lure the monkey down and into a cage, but the monkey jumped on her arm, bit her thumb and ran away.

WALLER COUNTY, Texas --

A group of pet rhesus monkeys are on the loose in Waller County. Some of them are even turning violent.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials said one of their game wardens, Karin Apple, was bitten by one of the monkeys.

Apple was assisting wildfire evacuees Sunday morning when she saw a monkey up in a tree. She tried to lure the monkey down and into a cage, but the monkey jumped on her arm, bit her thumb and ran away.

Apple was treated and released from a Conroe hospital with a small puncture wound.

The Waller County Sheriff's Office also said a captured monkey in a cage stole a deputy's cell phone. The deputy did get the phone back, but with teeth marks on it.

"We've heard there's a homeowner here with monkeys," said Elizabeth Allbritton, one of the homeowners who had to evacuate. "Someone we know has seen the monkeys running around. That's basically what we're hearing."

Waller County sheriff's deputies caught some of the monkeys, but they said two or three are still on the loose.

Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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