In the midst of the devastation in Ukraine, a two-year-old Ukrainian refugee housed in a Russian village was left with severe injuries after a pet monkey brutally attacked the infant.
Ukrainian Infant Attacked by Escaped Monkey
The infant, Paulina, was outside the house of her parent's friends playing in the village of Terpigorievo when a monkey suddenly attacked her, pulling her to the ground from a swimming pool ladder and biting the child.
Even after the family hurried to save her from the monkey's attacks, CCTV showed how the monkey continued to lunge at the infant and grab her legs; the animal kept injuring Paulina despite being kicked by her father.
Metro reported that Paulina suffered cuts on her arms and legs and blood loss and is currently being treated in the ICU of a nearby hospital.
The monkey scaled the fence and escaped from a nearby private zoo that belonged to a millionaire, reportedly the wife of a prominent Moscow lawyer, in neighboring prosperity in the town. One report says that the parents came hurriedly after hearing Paulina screaming and had difficulty freeing their daughter from the clutches of the animal, reports Newsweek.
As of now, local police are investigating the vicious animal attack after the infant's parents made a formal complaint about the ordeal. Criminal investigations are underway.
Understanding Monkeys and their Attacks
According to the San Diego Zoo, the monkey is an umbrella term for several primate families, including 43 genera and 315 species. Most of these are arboreal, tree-dwelling, while others, like baboons and some mangabeys, are mostly terrestrial.
All monkeys, however, have the distinct ability to use their hands and feet to hold on to some branches, tools, and objects. Arboreal monkeys can even use their tails to grab and hold prehensile.
Monkeys are generally found in two main regions of the globe; scientists have grouped the animals into Old World monkeys and New World monkeys.
Old World monkeys are found in Africa and Asia, including guenons, mangabeys, baboons, and colobus monkeys. On the other hand, New World monkeys are found in Central and South America and Mexico, including spider, woolly, howler, capuchins, and squirrel monkeys.
Most monkeys dwell in the tropical rainforests of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the savannas of Africa. Geladas and golden monkeys dwell in the mountains, while Japanese macaques live in some parts of Japan where it snows.
Reports state that monkey bites take up 20% of all animal bite injuries. On the other hand, monke4yus aren't automatically aggressive. Typically these primates will only behave violently when triggered by varying factors, including misreading the body and facial expressions of humans. A study published in the journal PeerJ, titled "Experience-based human perception of facial expressions in Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)," states that most of the time, what humans perceive from animal expressions is often the complete opposite of what they are feeling.
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