A seven-year-old boy has been mauled to death by the family's pet monkey in southern Thailand, in a horrifying attack that has left a community in shock and sparked a hunt through nearby bushland.
Ekkarat Srichan was playing outside his home in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on June 6 when the four-year-old male macaque, named Choke, launched a ferocious and unprovoked assault on the young boy.
Asia Pacific Press reports that the primate sank its long fangs deep into the child's torso, wrestling him to the ground as he desperately tried to break free. Neighbours were alerted by the boy's terrified screams and the monkey's piercing screeches, only to find Ekkarat covered in wounds and the bloodstained monkey still tethered to a bamboo pole by a rope long enough to allow it to roam freely.
Emergency services rushed Ekkarat to Sichon Hospital, where doctors were unable to save him. The monkey's bite had punctured the boy's lung, striking a vital area that proved fatal.
His grieving mother, Daranee Srichan, 27, said she was initially told by her husband that their son had only suffered a bite to the leg — but the full extent of his injuries became clear when she arrived at the hospital.
“The doctor told me my son couldn't survive because the monkey's bite punctured his lung and hit a vital area. If it hadn't struck that spot, he would have been all right,” she said.
“My husband initially said that Ekkarat had only been bitten on the leg, but when I saw him at 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 might not survive.”
Locals say the aggressive macaque had long been a source of unease in the neighbourhood. The animal was known to growl and bare its fangs at strangers, and was previously reported to have killed a stray cat that wandered too close to the jackfruit tree where it was kept.
The monkey had been in the family's care since 2022, when Ekkarat's grandfather, Jaroon Srichan, rescued it as an infant after finding it abandoned on the roadside without its mother. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Jaroon released Choke into the nearby mountains before wildlife authorities could take custody of the animal — a decision that prompted police to launch an urgent search amid fears the monkey could attack other residents.
Officers located the primate in a nearby tree but were unable to approach safely due to its aggressive behaviour. Wildlife experts with tranquilliser guns were subsequently called in, and the monkey was eventually captured.
Jaroon said the ordeal had left him consumed by regret.
“I don't know if the monkey disliked my grandson or not, but they've known each other for a long time. It wasn't their first time meeting,” he said, per Asia Pacific Press.
“It must have been tired and irritated. At first, I thought I made the right decision in saving the monkey. But now that this happened, I realise I made a mistake. I have to let it go. I'm not going to keep it anymore.
“If I could go back in time, I wouldn't want to raise it anymore.”
Police confirmed that Jaroon would face further questioning over his ownership of the animal. While keeping macaques is legal in Thailand, the practice is strictly regulated. Keeping wild-caught or protected macaques without proper authorisation is illegal and can result in fines, confiscation of the animal, or prosecution under Thai wildlife laws.
