Shocking moment monkeys attack baby boy on idyllic island beach as father leaps in to punch them away
21 March 2023, 18:48 | Updated: 22 March 2023, 08:15
This is the terrifying moment a pack of monkeys swooped in to attack a one-year-old boy on a beach in Thailand.
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The boy's influencer parents, Riley Whitelum, 38, and his mother Elayna Carausu, 29, were on a beach on the Ko Phi Phi Islands that is well known for monkey attacks.
The Australia couple had brought their sons Lenny, 5, and Darwin, 1 and were trying to show them the monkeys - but the aggressive primates started going through their things and then lunged for Darwin.
Mr Whitelum rushed in to pick up his son and launched himself at the monkeys. He was left shaken, bitten and scratched. The whole family needed tetanus and rabies shots after the incident.
Family get attacked by monkeys in Thailand
He told Ms Carausu after the incident: "I've been in a punch up with a dozen monkeys." Showing off a cut on his hand, he said: "That's a monkey tooth.
"I feel bad for punching a monkey, but they went for Darwin, it was scary," he added. "None of the people on the beach helped." Mr Whitelum complained.
He later passed out when having his injections in a local town.
The couple said they had not done any research before going to the beach, and if they had known it was notorious for monkey attacks they would not have visited.
The couple quit their jobs and set off sailing around the world together nine years ago, having only known each other for a few weeks beforehand.
They film their exploits, which have seen them travel to Martinique, St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, French Polynesia, Cape Verde and more, and post them on YouTube. They live on the advertising revenue and crowdfunding.
The lifestyle hasn't always been smooth sailing for the couple. Ms Carausu told Mail Online: "In the past, we've argued and we really can't stand to look at each other. The boat is so small there's literally nowhere to go!"
