A Tennessee woman encountered an unusual threat while feeding her cats on Thursday when a vervet monkey—wearing a leash—allegedly attempted to attack her at her home. The monkey’s sudden approach startled the woman, leading her to defend herself by striking it with a shotgun, according to News Channel 9. Authorities remain uncertain about the monkey’s origin or ownership.

Severe injuries led to euthanasia

The injured monkey was taken to the Chattanooga Zoo, where veterinarians determined that the severity of its wounds made humane euthanasia the best option. Jake Cash, the zoo’s Director of Marketing and Communications, stated, “Every animal care professional we spoke to, and that was in the room, decided that the best, obvious course of action was just a humane euthanasia, due to the severity of the animal’s injuries.”

Potential risks of owning exotic animals

Cash revealed that the vervet monkey was a young male, underscoring the risks associated with owning primates, a legal yet highly regulated practice in Tennessee.

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“Housing a primate comes with a lot of risks and challenges that people need to fully understand before they undertake something like that,” Cash advised.

Police investigation underway

Soddy-Daisy Police are actively working to determine the monkey’s owner and how it came to be on a leash in a residential area. This is part of a broader investigation into the incident as police assess compliance with Tennessee’s exotic animal ownership laws.

Escaped monkeys spark multi-state concerns

This incident is part of a series of recent monkey-related events. In South Carolina, police are tracking down 43 monkeys that escaped from Alpha Genesis, a research facility that specializes in nonhuman primate research services.

“Just don’t try to take these things home or pet them,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander told the Post and Courier, adding, “That’s a felony because they don’t belong to you.”

There is no indication that the vervet monkey involved in the Tennessee incident is related to the escaped monkeys from the South Carolina research facility.