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Vervet Bites Boy at Texas Petting Zoo

Incident Date:
09/19/2023
Location:
Hidalgo County, TX - USA
Facility Name:
Bow Champs Exotic Petting Zoo
Facility Type:
Non-accredited Facility (RSZ)
Incident Category:
Escape/Attack resulting in human injury (HI)
Species:
Primates
Animal:
Vervet
Animal disposition:
Other

Summary:

A 2-year-old boy was bitten by a monkey at the Bow Champs Exotic Petting Zoo in Hidalgo County, Texas. The boy’s mother said that their fun that day ended when her son approached the cage containing Chicharo, the zoo’s vervet monkey.

“The monkey was able to reach out, grab him by the neck, pull him in and bite him right above his eyebrow,” she said, adding that she and her husband immediately grabbed their son and washed his wounds with soap and water.

Petting zoo employees were not around when the attack happened, and the handler later assured her the monkey was vaccinated. “We still felt uneasy, we were not comfortable.”

Sanchez later found out the monkey was not fully vaccinated. She paid $250 to get monkey’s blood tested; those results are still pending.

Bow Champs Petting Zoo Tour Guide Jorge Garcia said this isn’t the first time Chicharo has hurt a customer.

Action take by Born Free USA:

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