A Tennessee woman said she was feeding her cats when she was nearly attacked by a different animal: a monkey .
The incident occurred on Thursday as the anonymous woman was giving her pets food when a monkey — wearing a leash — tried to attack her, News Channel 9 reported. Police don’t know where the monkey came from or who it belonged to.
Startled, the woman grabbed a shotgun and struck the vervet monkey.
The severely injured creature was taken to the Chattanooga Zoo, where veterinarians tried in vain to save it.
Jake Cash, Director of Marketing and Communications at Chattanooga Zoo, told the outlet: “Every animal care professional we spoke to, and that was in the room, decided that the best, obvious course of action was just a humane euthanasia, due to the severity of the animals injuries.”
This monkey was male and not an adult, Cash said, adding that while people are allowed to own monkeys in Tennessee, he doesn’t recommend it. “Housing a primate like that comes with a lot of risks and challenges that people definitely need to fully understand before they undertake something like that,” he said.