Aussie toddler and family attacked by monkeys on Thailand holiday
Video shows an Aussie father holding his young son under his arm while he fights off several aggressive monkeys.
The moment a frightened young Australian boy and his family were attacked by aggressive monkeys at a popular Thailand beach has been caught on camera.
Couple Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu, who have a large following for their travel content while sailing around the world, were exploring Monkey Beach on Ko Phi Phi Don island with their two young sons when the incident occurred.
Mr Whitelum and his sons Lenny and Darwin had spotted a group of monkeys on the sand when one started rummaging through their bag containing wallets, phones, cameras and a passport.
Not wanting to lose the bag, the dad confidently strides towards the monkey who snaps into defensive mode and jumps at the man.
Looking over at one-year-old Darwin, the monkey then starts creeping towards him, forcing Mr Whitelum to quickly shield his son behind him, but not before the monkey strikes again.
Picking up his crying son who fell over during the frightening confrontation, they retreat into the water, which is what's recommended to do.
"It was scary, they could’ve scarred him for life," a friend says in the video, speaking about the young boy.
The couple confessed to "not doing (their) research" when heading to the beach, which is a habitat for the monkeys — long-tailed macaques. Monkey Beach is also known for its monkey attacks, which can be deadly.
Aussie man gets into a 'punch up' with a group of monkeys
When the monkeys continued to go through the bags, Mr Whitelum made his way back where he took a swing at the animals to try and scare them off.
"I've been in a punch up with a dozen monkeys," he said in the video.
He described how he "felt bad for punching a monkey" to his partner, who rushed out of the water when she heard screaming at the shore.
"I'm not kidding babe... they went for Darwin," he said.
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While Darwin got out unscathed thanks to his dad, the incident didn't come without its casualties — Mr Whitelum being bitten on the finger. Not having any tetanus or rabies shots, the man then had to endure several, passing out from the pain during the process.
"I've never had a rabies shot so I need five, or more, in my wound. Then another five over the next 20 days," he said in the video.
The doctors the couple spoke to in the video said they get two people a day come in for monkey bites.
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