Officials search for monkey's owner
Officials are trying to locate the owner of a monkey that bit a 7-year-old boy at Stephens Lake Park on Saturday. The monkey was last seen with a woman presumed to be its owner near downtown Columbia and at Stephens Lake Park during a dog show.
Molly Aust, a Columbia and Boone County senior animal control officer, said the bite broke the boy’s skin, and he received medical attention at an emergency room. The hospital contacted animal control to inform them of the bite.
From what animal control has determined, the bite took place during the dog show, Aust said.
“Nobody seems to know exactly what happened,” Aust said.
The Columbia/Boone County Health Department and Columbia Animal Control are searching for the monkey’s owner to determine if the boy is at risk for disease.
Aust said the monkey has been identified as a Rhesus Macaque.
“We are reasonably sure, but we are not monkey experts,” she said.
The health department released a photo Wednesday of the woman with the monkey that was taken during the dog show. The image has been altered to obscure the woman’s face. Neither Aust nor a spokesman from the health department knew why the woman’s face was blurred.
Anyone with information about the monkey or owner should call animal control at 449-1888. All calls will be kept confidential.