Escaped pet monkey shot after it ripped a woman's ear in half

A pet monkey was shot in Oklahoma this week after it escaped its owners and attacked a woman, ripping off part of her ear, police said.

Brittany Parker told local reporters she was sitting on her couch on March 12 when she saw the primate on her front porch. At first, the monkey was pacing up and down but then started jumping off the railing into her screen door, she said.

The money tried to get in and tried to rip off the door handle, so Parker said she called 911.

When officers and animal control officials arrived at the scene the monkey jumped on the control vehicle and then back on the porch where Parker and her son were standing, the Dickson Police Department said.

The monkey then crawled up Parker's back, police said.

"[The monkey] yanked out multiple wads of hair and then ripped my ear in half," Parker told local affiliate KTEN.

The primate fled into nearby woods while Parker was transported to the hospital, police said.

Officers were able to locate and speak with the monkey's owners who went out to search for the primate, however, they were unsuccessful in finding it, according to police.

One of Parker's family members found the monkey later in the day around her home and shot it, police said.

The animal's remains were sent for testing, according to investigators.

It is legal for Oklahoma residents to own primates without a special permit or license, with the exception of chimpanzees and great apes, according to state law.

Parker, who was still recovering from the attack, said she is concerned about the safety of the neighborhood.

"I think there needs to be some law that is passed where you have training as well as a certificate to even hold these types of animals," she said.