A schoolboy has succumbed to his injuries after being mauled by his pet monkey in Thailand.
According to Mail Online, Seven-year-old Ekkarat Srichan was playing outside his home when the four-year-old monkey began to attack and bite him.
The terrified youngster screamed, but the pet monkey continued the attack, wrestling him to the ground as the boy made desperate attempts to escape.
Ekkarat was rushed to Sichon Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead in Nakhon Si Thammarat on June 6.
The boy’s grandfather released the killer monkey, which he had previously rescued from a roadside, but police and wildlife workers are now searching for 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 because the monkey’s bite punctured his lung and hit a vital 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 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.’
Residents said the vicious male macaque was known to be aggressive.
Neighbours claimed it had previously attacked a stray cat which wandered too close.
Police officers have since located the deadly monkey, but it was so aggressive that wildlife experts with tranquiliser guns have been called in to help.
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 each other for a long time. It wasn’t their first time meeting.
‘It must have been tired and irritated. At first, I thought I had 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.