I thought I was saving the monkey. Now I know I made a terrible mistake.
In a village in southern Thailand, a seven-year-old boy named Ekkarat Srichan lost his life after being attacked by a pet monkey his family had raised for three years — a creature rescued from the roadside out of compassion, yet one that had shown signs of danger long before the fatal day. The tragedy asks an ancient question: when we bring the wild into our homes, do we truly understand what we are inviting in? A grandfather's act of mercy became, in time, the source of his deepest grief.
- A single bite from a family monkey punctured a seven-year-old boy's lung and killed him — an injury far more devastating than anyone in his family initially realized.
- The animal, named Choke, had already killed a cat and regularly threatened strangers, yet warning signs went unheeded and the monkey remained in the home for years.
- After the attack, Choke fled into the mountains, prompting a police and wildlife operation that ended only when specialists brought him down with tranquilizer darts.
- The boy's mother, who arrived at the hospital expecting to treat a leg wound, was told her son would not survive — a moment that shattered the family's understanding of the risk they had been living with.
- The grandfather who rescued Choke from a roadside in 2022 now carries the weight of knowing his act of compassion set in motion the chain of events that killed his grandson.
Ekkarat Srichan was seven years old when the monkey his family had raised for three years turned on him inside their home in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand. Neighbors heard screaming and rushed over. By the time family members reached the boy, he was gravely wounded. At the hospital, doctors delivered news far worse than anyone had anticipated: the bite had not merely broken skin — it had punctured his lung and torn through vital tissue. He did not survive.
The monkey, Choke, had been part of the household since 2022, when the boy's grandfather found him abandoned on a roadside and brought him home out of pity. For three years, the animal and the child shared the same space. But Choke had never been truly tame. Neighbors had long observed him baring his teeth at strangers, and he had already killed a cat that wandered too close. The warnings existed. Life continued around them.
After the attack, Choke fled into the surrounding mountains. Authorities mounted a search, eventually locating him in a tree. When he turned aggressive toward those who approached, wildlife specialists were called in and captured him with tranquilizer darts before he could harm anyone else.
In the aftermath, Ekkarat's mother said she would never keep another monkey — the cost of that choice was now too visible, too permanent. His grandfather spoke to reporters with quiet devastation. He had believed he was doing something good when he rescued Choke from the road. He understood now that he had been wrong, and that his error had taken his grandson's life.
Ekkarat Srichan was seven years old when a monkey he lived with turned on him. The boy was attacked in his family's home in Nakhon Si Thammarat, in southern Thailand, on a Saturday in early June. Neighbors heard screaming from the house and rushed over. When family members arrived, they found the child wounded and the animal still nearby. He was taken to the hospital, but the injuries were too severe. A single bite had punctured his lung and damaged vital tissue. He did not survive.
The monkey's name was Choke. He was about four years old and had lived with the family for three years, ever since the boy's grandfather found him alone on the side of a road in 2022 and brought him home. The grandfather thought he was saving the animal's life. For three years, Choke lived on the family's property. He knew the boy. They had been around each other many times before.
But Choke had always been dangerous. Neighbors said he would snarl and bare his teeth whenever strangers came near. He had attacked and killed a cat that wandered into the area where he was kept. The signs were there. No one did anything about it. The monkey stayed.
When the attack happened, Choke escaped into the mountains nearby. Police and wildlife protection teams were sent to find him. They located him in a tree, but when they tried to approach, he became aggressive. Specialists with tranquilizer darts were called in. They captured him before he could hurt anyone else.
The boy's mother, Daranee Srichan, went to the hospital thinking her son had been bitten on the leg. That was the injury she could see. At the hospital, doctors told her the truth: the monkey's teeth had gone much deeper. The bite had torn through to his lung. It had hit something vital. There was nothing they could do. She was told her son would not make it.
After the funeral, she said she would never keep another monkey. If she did, her other son might not survive either. The risk was too clear now.
The grandfather, Jaroon Srichan, spoke to reporters afterward. He said he had believed he was making the right choice when he rescued Choke from the roadside. Now he understood he had made a terrible mistake. A mistake that had cost his grandson his life. He said it plainly: he regretted it. He had been wrong.
Notable Quotes
The doctor told me my son would not survive because the monkey's bite pierced his lung and hit a vital area.— Daranee Srichan, the boy's mother
At first I thought I had made the right decision saving the monkey, but now I see I made a mistake.— Jaroon Srichan, the boy's grandfather
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did the family keep an animal they knew was aggressive? The neighbors saw it kill a cat.
People convince themselves that danger is manageable when it's familiar. The grandfather rescued the monkey thinking he was doing good. Three years passed without incident. You start to believe the animal is part of the family.
But the warning signs were there—the snarling, the aggression toward strangers.
Yes. But those signs didn't seem to apply to the boy. The grandfather said they'd been around each other many times. That's the trap: you think you know the animal, that it's safe with you specifically.
Until it isn't.
Until it isn't. One moment changes everything. A bite in the wrong place. A lung punctured. Vital tissue damaged.
The mother said she'd never keep another monkey. Do you think that's what most families would say after something like this?
I think most families would say it. Whether they'd mean it—whether they'd actually change their behavior around wild animals—that's harder to know. But in this case, the cost was so absolute that the words feel true.