A pet monkey is under house arrest after biting a man in Brevard County.
We confirmed with Brevard County Animal Services that Mookie, a capuchin monkey, will be held for 30 days to make sure he doesn't have rabies. This means Mookie will have to celebrate his 20th birthday behind bars.
“I was planning to have a big family party for him. You know, I’ve got a big family of like 30 to 35 people and we were all going to come here and celebrate his 20th birthday and that’s not going to happen now,” said owner Brad Berman.
Capt. Bob Brown with Brevard County Animal Services said Mookie and Berman were in Merritt Island when a couple wanted to pet the animal. But a nearby car startled Mookie, and he bit the man on his shin. Berman says this is unfair and that Mookie is not vicious. Here's how he explains it.
“They said, ‘Oh no, we’ll take the risk. That’s fine with us.’ So, they sat down and he was playing with the guy and the girl. He was just loving on them. He was having fun. I was having fun. They were both having fun and they were video-taping it,” Berman said.
The victim didn’t return our message asking about the video or the incident in general. From the footage our photographer shot, Mookie looked calm as he ate from Berman’s hands…behind bars.
Berman said he is careful with Mookie, he usually walks him on a leash and keeps him away from strangers but this particular weekend in Merritt Island was different.
“They were practically begging me to let them play with the monkey. I felt bad that they couldn’t have that experience," said Berman.
The owner apologized, telling the couple Mookie has never bitten anyone.