3 month old baby bitten by monkeys on Phang Nga island, left in a coma
Two monkeys bit a three month old baby boy at his home on Koh Mai Phai, an island in the southern province of Phang Nga, leaving the infant in a coma.
A Thai woman, Jiraporn Galong, told PPTV HD that her nephew, three month old Muallim Ard-dee, was with his grandmother when the incident happened on November 13. He was drinking milk in his cradle while his grandmother fell asleep.
Jiraporn said she heard the boy scream and went to check. She found two monkeys were attacking the boy and rushed to chase them away. Jiraporn stated that the monkeys were not afraid of humans and did not leave the house. She and Muallim’s grandmother spent quite a while getting rid of the animals.
Jiraporn said she checked on her nephew and discovered five to six fang marks on Muallim’s head along with a severe wound that exposed his skull. She immediately took him to Koh Mai Phai Hospital. The hospital provided first aid before transferring the child to Phang Nga Hospital.
Due to the severity of the injuries, Phang Nga Hospital decided to transfer the boy to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he underwent surgery on November 14. The attack affected his brain, so the doctor had to remove some affected and dirty brain matter. The doctor reported that the operation went well but the baby is still in a coma and needs to be intubated.
To support the family, the Phang Nga Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office offered 3,000 baht, the Phang Nga Red Cross offered 3,000 baht and the Mueang Phang Nga District Office offered 2,000 baht.
Monkey population grows, food declines
Following the incident, the leader of the Phang Nga Provincial Wildlife Breeding Station, Suwat Suksiri, and his team visited the island yesterday, November 15, to survey the impact of the monkey population in the area.
Locals complained that the number of monkeys was increasing but the food in their habitat, the mangrove forest near the community, was decreasing. The monkeys had to come into the community to look for food and began to cause more problems. They stole food and destroyed houses in search of food.
Locals estimated that there were around 500 monkeys on the island. Officials tried to control the monkey population by luring them into cages and releasing them into their natural habitat away from the community. However, the monkeys later learned the trick and avoided entering the cage.
The locals added that they could not solve the problem themselves and could not harm the monkeys because there were laws protecting them.
Officials have not yet revealed what steps they will take to resolve the issue for the locals in the area.
