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[Carrie McLaren <carrie AT stayfreemagazine.org>]

The Associated Press State & Local Wire

January 22, 2001

Monkey bite prompts legislator to seek tougher law

By PAUL SLOCA

BODY:
It was supposed to be just another day of bike riding for 7-year-old Ethan
Sickman. It wasn't.

As his mother watched from the kitchen window, a rhesus monkey owned by
neighbors jumped from a tree and landed on Ethan's back. Lori Sickman
lunged toward the back door - and heard Ethan scream.

"Look at what the monkey did to me," Ethan said, a bleeding bite wound on
his arm.

The attack last July 18 marked the start of a two-month ordeal involving
doctors, needles, tests and the potential that the bite could threaten
Ethan's life.

That story, related by Lori and Larry Sickman in a letter to Sen. Sidney
Johnson, prompted the rural northwest Missouri lawmaker to file legislation
adding primates to the state's animal reporting requirements.

The Sickmans, of Platte County, say they were unable to find any
authorities who could take any action about the neighbors' pet because
there are no ordinances about monkeys.

Then, the couple learned that the monkey might have rabies and was a
potential carrier of a deadly strain of the herpes virus that is fatal in
70 percent of human cases. As a precaution, Ethan had a series of painful
inoculations.

"It was a frightening thing because you just don't know what's going to
happen," said Lori Sickman, who testified when the Senate Public Health and
Welfare Committee heard Johnson's bill. "It's awful when your son can't
ride his bike without this monkey jumping on him and taking a chunk out of
his arm."

Johnson, D-Agency, said the state needs to provide some guidance.

"They've had to do some very serious tests on their son. It's a very
unfortunate situation," Johnson said.

State law currently bans animals such as lions and poisonous reptiles from
being kept in homes unless local law enforcement is informed. Johnson wants
primates, bears and snakes more than 6 feet long added to the list.

Shirley Sostman of Missouri Animal Watch, which monitors animal issues,
said an increasing number of Missourians keep dangerous animals at home.
The monkey-biting incident shows the need for better state laws, she said.

"It got the attention of a lot of people in Missouri," she told the Senate
committee. "It is serious and it shouldn't be allowed."

Larry Sickman told the committee that with more exotic animals being kept
as pets, incidents like his son's bite are bound to increase.

"These animals are not pets, they are meant to be kept in a zoo," he said.
"There's no control over these animals."

While federal laws regulate the sale, breeding and exhibition of exotic
animals, anyone can go into a store and potentially buy a tiger or an
exotic lizard.

Thirty-two states have some sort of regulations on exotic pets.

Another section of Johnson's bill would allow the Missouri Department of
Health and county health officials to become involved when animals bite
people in counties where there are no rules.

When the Health Department received a report of a biting incident,
Johnson's bill would authorize an investigation and possible action to
prevent the spread of rabies or other bite-related ailments. The owner of
an animal would be responsible for any costs and damages.

Larry Marx, who handles communicable disease issues for the state Health
Department, says something must be done to deal with animal bites.

"I think there needs to be a little more observance as far as public health
goes," Marx said. "This bill would allow us to deal with these issues."

The Senate committee has not yet voted on the legislation.