Monkey snatches 12-day-old baby from mother’s arms, fatally bites him

A monkey in India killed a 12-day-old baby after snatching it from his mother’s arms. (SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP/Getty Images)

A 12-day-old baby in India was snatched from his mother's arms and killed by a monkey in search of food, the latest attack in what's becoming an increasing primate problem in certain areas of the country.

The newborn baby was reportedly in his mother’s arms inside their home in the northern city of Agra when the animal entered the house and grabbed the child.

The animal bit the child several times before dropping him on a neighbor’s roof after local residents chased the monkey away with sticks and stones, the BBC reported.

The baby died of his injuries at a local hospital.

Ajay Kaushal, the police officer in charge of the Sikandra police station, told Reuters on Wednesday that a group of monkey’s entered the house, but only one went after the child.

Dhirendra Jumas, the baby’s uncle, told the BBC the family was heartbroken and the baby's mother is distraught. He added monkey attacks in the area are growing more frequent.

“There are too many monkeys in the area,” he said. “We live in fear. We have told the administration so many times to help us but they haven’t done anything.”

There have been a string of incidents in Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal.

A toddler who was attacked by monkeys two months ago is still recovering in a hospital, the BBC reported. In May, two tourists were also attacked while they visited the Taj Mahal.

“Monkeys are everywhere in Agra,” local environmental activist Shravan Kumar Singh told Reuters. “They are in all the five railway stations in the city, in hospitals, hotels, and roads. They come in search of food, but they snatch and attack as well.”

He said monkeys are becoming increasingly aggressive as they have been displaced from their natural habitats. Some local organizations have called for monkeys to be sterilized and excluded from wildlife protection legislation, Singh added.