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State told of monkey biting girl at Dexter daycare

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May 12th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

DEXTER, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Human Services is investigating a home-based daycare in Dexter after a child was apparently hurt by a pet monkey. Department spokesman Roger Munns says the state received a report of a girl being bitten by a Capuchin monkey that lives at the home. The daycare is operated by Holly Russell, who says she keeps the monkey in a cage when children are in her home. During the incident, the daycare says, the monkey scratched the girl’s hand when it jumped off her lap. The girl was taken to a hospital to be examined and was advised to undergo rabies shots. The Human Services department says the daycare is a state-regulated business. As such, Russell will be required to keep all animals separate from children.