VERMILION, Ohio — A spider monkey is expected to be placed in quarantine after biting an employee at a Vermilion car dealership, according to police.
The employee said he was helping to remove plates for the customer’s car. When he was finished, he walked over to the window of the car and saw a man sitting with a white-bellied spider monkey named Brodi.
The man asked if he could pet the monkey, and after getting permission, put his hand inside the car. The monkey smelled his hand and then bit his right thumb, according to the police report. The bite mark caused a small puncture wound and started bleeding.
The employee said he went to Mercy Hospital for medical treatment.
The monkey’s owner told police he didn’t have an exotic animals permit, but said Brodi had received a rabies vaccination earlier this year. Police were able to confirm that with a veterinarian in Missouri.
Police told the owner he needed to secure a facility to quarantine the monkey for a 72 hour watch.