A monkey that reportedly escaped a neighbors house was shot and killed after it terrorised a woman and nearly ripped her ear off her head.
Brittany Parker was in her home in Dickinson, Oklahoma on Sunday when she saw a monkey sitting on her porch, trying to get inside the house, according to local broadcaster KOKH.
The monkey reportedly became aggressive and tried to break into the house, prompting Ms Parker to call the police for assistance.
When police arrived the monkey seemed as though it had calmed down, so Ms Parker left her house to meet with the officers. After she exited her house, the monkey leapt up and attacked her.
"He jumped up on my back and landed on my head," she told local KOKH. "He started grabbing handfuls of hair and just ripped it out. He ripped my ear almost completely off of my head."
After the attack the monkey leapt off Ms Parker and ran off. Police began searching for it when they heard a pair of gunshots ring out; one of Ms Parker's family members had shot the monkey after spotting it behind their house.
Ms Parker was later transported to a hospital in Oklahoma City for care. She will require plastic surgery on hear ear, and told the broadcaster she was worried her injury would keep her out of work.
Another resident had an encounter with the monkey that they captured on video and shared to TikTok. In the clip, a monkey can be seen sitting outside a screen door and eating. After it finishes, it appears to depart. The individual recording opens their door, which prompts the monkey to turn and lunge back for the door.
The monkey was reportedly owned by one of Ms Parker's neighbours, according to KOKH.
Oklahoma has no regulations prohibiting the keeping of monkeys as pets, as they are considered domesticated animals despite being exotic and non-native. Owning a monkey does not require a permit in the state.
Ms Parker said she would support legislation making it harder for people to own potentially dangerous creatures as pets.
"I think that there needs to be some type of law that says that you need to have some kind of training as well as a certificate to even hold these type of animals," she told KXII.
She told KOKH that she was frightened for her son, who she said loves to play outside.
"Do I worry every time we step outside if ware are going to be attacked by something?" she asked.
She called the entire situation "very traumatizing" and "very scary”.
