Is the end in sight for the Mystery Monkey?

Last time we heard of the notorious Tampa Bay Mystery Monkey, he was reported to be living in the yard of a family that only spoke to reporters with the promise that their location would not be revealed.

But their attempt to protect the fugitive has been foiled by his own bad behavior. Apparently he also visited another Florida home nearly every day - and now he's bitten one of the residents:

The woman was sitting outside when the monkey bit her on her back, said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. After the bite, the woman stood up and the monkey bit her again.

The daughter of the 60-year-old woman whom the monkey attacked... said she was inside her home cooking a meal Monday when she heard her mother scream from the front porch.

The animal had jumped on her mother's back, scratching and gnawing on her skin as she rose from a chair.

"She could hear the clicking of teeth," her daughter said.

The woman reached behind, grabbed the monkey's leg and tossed him into the bushes before he ran off.

The father of other family denied that this could be the same monkey:

"Does not seem like Monk at all," he wrote of the reported attack. "He has been sleeping on the porch and just in general relaxing. No difference in his attitude at all." 

The family of the bitten woman seems to have always had more sense than these folks, and recognized the danger.  The monkey was "never aggressive," but:

He would playfully slap the 40-pound family dog, who'd run inside.

Out of concern, the family members purchased a pellet gun. They never shot it, but simply showing it to the monkey would cause him to leave.

They occasionally sprayed the monkey with water to shoo him away, but he would always come back.

But when they reported their concerns to Fish and Wildlife officials, they were reportedly told to stay away from the monkey and everything would be OK.

Seeing how that advice has worked out, authorities have finally been spurred into action, and are setting traps for the monkey. But assuming they are skilled enough to trap the wily creature, his ultimate fate is still unknown:

If the monkey is captured, he may be euthanized, though the victim could sign a waiver to save the monkey's life.

And in fact, the monkey-huggers may ultimately win this battle. The victim claims in a video to just want him to be "reunited with other monkeys." "I love him too," she says, "I just want to see him in a safe place."