Boy, 7, mauled to death by killer pet monkey as police battle to catch escaped beast

A schoolboy was mauled to death by a crazed pet monkey in Thailand.

Seven-year-old Ekkarat Srichan was playing outside his home when the beast pounced on him and plunged its fangs into his torso.

The terrified youngster screamed, but the ravenous primate continued the attack, wrestling him to the ground as the boy tried to escape.

Neighbours heard the hellish screeches of the four-year-old monkey - named Choke - as it continued the savage mauling.

Shocked relatives arrived to find the youngster covered in wounds and the family's pet monkey with blood dripping from its teeth. It was still tethered to a bamboo pole but with a rope long enough to allow it to wander freely.

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 grieving mother, Daranee Srichan, 27, said the male 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, growling and baring its fangs whenever strangers came close.

They claimed it had previously eviscerated a hapless stray cat that wandered too close to the jackfruit tree where it was tethered.

Police began hunting for the primate after the owner, Ekkarat's grandfather Jaroon Srichan, released it into the nearby mountains before it could be turned over to wildlife officials.

Officers found the killer monkey in a nearby tree. However, it scowled aggressively when approached so they avoided catching the beast.

Wildlife experts with tranquiliser guns have now been called in to search for the animal.

Jaroon said he had rescued the monkey in 2022, when it was found abandoned on the roadside without its mother. However, he is understood not to have had the necessary paperwork to keep it as a family pet.

The grandfather 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 made the right decision 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 said they scoured nearby woodland for Choke, fearing it might harm other villagers. The monkey was later found and captured.

Officers said that the grandfather would be questioned further about the monkey.

Owning macaques is legal but strictly regulated in Thailand.

Keeping wild-caught or protected macaques without authorisation is illegal, and can lead to fines, confiscation of the animal, or prosecution under Thai wildlife laws.