A schoolboy has succumbed to his injuries after being mauled by his pet monkey named Choke.
Seven-year-old Ekkarat Srichan was playing outside his home when the four-year-old monkey began to attack and bite him.
Neighbours heard the screeches of the monkey because it continued to attack the young boy.
Relatives arrived to search out Ekkarat covered in wounds and the family’s pet monkey with blood dripping from its teeth.
The monkey was still tethered to a bamboo pole, but with a rope long enough to permit it to wander freely.
Ekkarat was rushed to Sichon Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead in Nakhon Si Thammarat on June 6.
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The boy’s grandfather released the killer monkey, which he had previously rescued from a roadside, but police and wildlife employees are actually trying to find the beast amid fears it could attack other residents.
Ekkarat’s mother, Daranee Srichan, 27, said the macaque’s long fangs had pierced through the boy’s lung.
She said: ‘The doctor told me my son couldn’t survive since the monkey’s bite punctured his lung and hit an important area. If it hadn’t struck that spot, he would have been alright.
‘My husband initially said that Ekkarat had only been bitten on the leg, but once I saw him on the hospital, I discovered he had also suffered a bite to his right ribcage. I won’t keep any more monkeys. If I do, my other son won’t survive.’
Residents said the vicious male macaque was known to be aggressive, growling and baring its fangs each time strangers got here close.
Neighbours claimed it had previously attacked a stray cat which wandered too close
Law enforcement officials have since situated the deadly monkey, however it was so aggressive that wildlife experts with tranquiliser guns have been called in to assist.
The boy’s grandfather, Jaroon, said he had rescued the monkey in 2022, but said he now regrets his decision after it cost him his grandson’s life.
He said: ‘I don’t know if the monkey disliked my grandson or not, but they’ve known one another for a very long time. It wasn’t their first time meeting.
‘It will need to have been drained and irritated. At first, I assumed I had made the fitting decision in saving the monkey. But now that this happened, I realise I made a mistake. I even have to let it go. I’m not going to maintain it anymore.
Officers said that the grandfather could be questioned further in regards to the monkey, as owning macaques is legal but strictly regulated in Thailand.
Keeping wild-caught or protected macaques without authorisation is prohibited and may result in fines, confiscation of the animal, or prosecution under Thai wildlife laws.
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