Helping monkeys is definitely not something I would normally participate in. I don't know enough about them to be helpful and they are also quite wild and potentially very dangerous. A lot of people traveling to Thailand make the mistake of thinking that monkeys are cute little friends to get selfies with and many of those same people end up with horrible bits and scratches from the monkeys who are known to "freak out" and lash out at anyone or anything that is nearby them.
We do work in close proximity to a lot of monkeys here in Southern Thailand though because at the temples the monkeys, cats, and dogs all live in relative harmony understanding that there are certain lines that they don't cross.
I could always tell just by watching monkeys in the wild though that they are very much an Alpha-oriented society, and outside of mothers with their young, the weaker ones are NOT looked after and for the most part will be abused by the rest of the group because they are weaker. This is the case with this monkey, whose name I was told but I forgot.
This monkey was smaller than the others in the "pack" and was picked on to the point of getting bit and scratched and this would likely have continued until he died. Some organization that operates in Thailand intervened though and just happened to be working where we were one day, so I asked if I could help.
Handling a monkey, even an injured one, is not an easy task. I left all of the important business to the expert who was still wearing work gloves to protect his hands from freak out scratching and biting, which thankfully this little guy didn't seem all that interested in doing. You still need to be careful though, I don't think that monkeys really ever get attached to a person the way that a dog or a cat would.
We are just shaving away the hair to expose these bite wounds that this guy has and treat them so they do not get infected. The hope here, according the professional in the photos with me, is that we can get him healed up quickly enough that he can be introduced back to the pack who will hopefully accept him now that he is healed up. If they don't, well, there probably isn't going to be very much that we can do. Monkey's live pretty violent lives and they are way up in the trees where we can't really intervene. They have a social pecking order, and if this guy's attitude continues to be one of trying to work his way up and failing, his life is probably just going to continue to be one filled with injury.
I've never really gotten involved with monkeys outside of giving them food every now and then. I do like all animals but the ones that can and will turn on your at any moment aren't really my cup of tea. So I hope this guy heals, but monkey society is quite simply, very violent.
It was a learning experience for me, mainly that the guys who work for this foundation and deal with monkeys day in and day out have a fearful respect of the power of monkeys and how they can mess you up in a heartbeat. A monkey that is calm right now might not be a moment from now, and they are not pets.
I tend to keep my distance from monkeys in Thailand and if you are ever visiting here or some other place in the world that has monkeys, I would suggest that you do the same. There are plenty of people that had to go and get the painful series of rabies shots because they were trying to get some sort of Instagram.
If you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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