NEW YORK (AP) -A New York City toddler nearly lost a finger when she was bitten by a neighbor’s pet monkey.

The 22-month-old girl was playing in her backyard in Queens on Thursday when she poked her fingers through a fence and into a cage occupied by a Capuchin monkey named Sampson.

The monkey bit the child’s left pinkie, leaving it dangling and barely attached. Doctors spent 12 hours trying to reattach and repair injured finger.

Authorities say the monkey was being kept illegally. Its owner was charged with creating a criminal nuisance.

Health authorities say the monkey will need to be killed so it can be tested for rabies.