Drama as troop of monkeys snatch baby boy from mother

What you need to know:

  • The villagers managed to get the injured baby back but unfortunately, he died while receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

Dar es Salaam. Drama ensued at Mwamgongo village in Kigoma on Saturday, June 18, 2022 when a troop of monkeys invaded a house and snatched a one-month-old boy from his mother and attempted to run away with him.

The unusual event occurred at around 3pm at the village which shares the border with Gombe National Park.

It all started when the boy’s mother, identified as Shayima Said, was sitting outside her house while breastfeeding her infant when unexpectedly, a troop of monkeys invaded her space and snatched the kid from her.

 “It is true. The child was with his mother outside their house when a troop of monkeys invaded the house and took him,” Kigoma Regional Police Commander, Mr James Manyama, told The Citizen on Monday, June 20, 2022.

The incident forced the mother to ask for help. “She screamed for help and villagers rushed to her house to assist her in getting her child – identified as Luhaiba Said - back from the troop of monkeys,” he said.

With the infant in the hands of one of the monkeys, the villagers had to use force to get him back. “When the villagers came it was too late because the baby was already in the hands of monkeys and when they tried to take him back by force he got injured on the head and the neck,” Mr Manyama said.

The villagers managed to get the injured baby back but unfortunately, he died while receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

“However, it should be noted that Mwamgongo village shares a border with Gombe National Park so incidents of animals invading villages are not uncommon,” he said.