A tragic incident in Thailand has claimed the life of a seven-year-old boy who was attacked by his family's pet monkey. The boy, Ekkarat Srichan, was playing outside his home in Nakhon Si Thammarat province when the four-year-old macaque suddenly turned on him.
According to reports, the monkey began biting the boy, who screamed for help. Despite his desperate attempts to escape, the animal continued the assault, wrestling him to the ground. Relatives rushed to the scene and found Ekkarat covered in wounds, with blood dripping from the monkey's teeth.
The boy was taken to Sichon Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on June 6. His mother, Daranee Srichan, 27, revealed that the monkey's long fangs had pierced through her son's lung. She said the doctor told her the bite punctured a vital area, and if it had not struck that spot, he might have survived.
The boy's grandfather, Jaroon, who had rescued the monkey from a roadside in 2022, released the animal after the attack. However, police and wildlife workers are now searching for the monkey, fearing it could attack other residents. Neighbors reported that the male macaque was known to be aggressive and had previously attacked a stray cat.
Police have located the monkey, but it remains so aggressive that wildlife experts with tranquilizer guns have been called in to assist. The grandfather expressed regret, saying he made a mistake by keeping the monkey and has now let it go. The family has vowed not to keep any more monkeys, fearing for the safety of their other son.
