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Monkey Bites Boy at N.Y. Supermarket

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

NEW YORK - A monkey trained to help a disabled man with chores bit a 2-year-old boy in a Brooklyn supermarket, authorities said.

The boy, Thomas Romano, was shopping with his grandparents at about 4 p.m. Monday when the monkey bit him on the arm. He was treated at Maimonides Medical Center and released.

The monkey's owner, Steven Seidler, 45, said the animal attacked after Romano pulled its fur. Seidler, who has emphysema and poor circulation and uses a wheelchair to get around, has the monkey to help him open doors and pick things up.

But Romano's grandmother, Helene Romano, said the bite was unprovoked.

"I'm walking into the Key Food, and the next thing I know, my grandson is like, 'Grandma, Grandma it hurts!' And I'm looking around and I see blood coming out of his arm," she told Newsday for Tuesday editions.

It is illegal to keep monkeys as pets in New York City, but permits are given for those trained to help the disabled.

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