MARSEILLE, France, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Authorities said an aggressive monkey Tased after weeks on the loose had been subsisting on a diet of Kinder chocolates.

Marseille police said the monkey had been the subject of more than a dozen calls to authorities from the Castellanne area in recent weeks, including one occasion when it "caused bedlam" at an elementary school and "scratched some children," but the primate always managed to flee before officers arrived.


Police said they finally caught up to the monkey Monday and captured it using a Taser.

Investigators said the monkey was apparently abandoned after being kept illegally. They said the animal had been subsisting on a diet of Kinder chocolates given to it by children. Malnutrition and suspected abuse from some children may have contributed to the monkey's aggressive behavior, police said.

An investigation has been opened to identify the animal's owner and charges of illegal possession of a wild animal are possible, police said.

The monkey, which was not seriously injured, was turned over to animal protection authorities and will join a zoo's exhibit following a quarantine period.