Monkey kills baby in snatch attack in Malaysia

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]









KUALA LUMPUR: A newborn baby has been killed in Malaysia by a monkey which snatched it from its home, bit its face and neck and then dropped it from a rooftop, reports said Thursday.

The four-day-old baby girl was sleeping in the living room of her family's home in Seremban, a town southeast of the Malaysian capital, on Wednesday when the macaque sneaked in and grabbed her.

The mother, 26-year-old V. Revathy, discovered the child missing and after a search found her body outside the house with serious bite and scratch wounds.

"We frantically searched all over the house and saw her body covered in blood lying outside the house," the child's grandfather A. Valayutham said according to the Star newspaper.

State wildlife and national parks director Ishak Muhamad said the monkey responsible was located and shot dead shortly after.

"We suspect the macaque was rummaging for food inside the house. It could have taken the baby to the roof thinking the newborn was food," he told the daily.

"The baby died when it fell to the ground. The monkey had apparently released the newborn, probably because it was alarmed by the parents' shouts," Ishak said.

Monkeys are common in urban areas in Malaysia, particularly macaques which can be aggressive, and bold enough to enter homes to search for food.