Monkeys
Long-tailed macaques eat food offered during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival at the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, 150km (94 miles) north of Bangkok (Reuters)

A monkey has attacked and injured an eight-month-old baby in a wildlife park in China. The incident took place in the Guiyang Qianling reserve in southwest China, where a monkey tore off one of the infant boy's testicles and ate part of it before being caught.

According to the Mail Online, the mother was changing her son's nappy when the attack occurred and was left shocked. The monkey initially dropped the testicle but returned to grab it for a second time and then began to eat it.

Chinese news reports say the baby boy is recovering at a hospital and that his injuries are not fatal.

It is believed the population of monkeys at the park has increased considerably in recent years, jumping from 70 to 500. The management feeds the animals three times a day but the monkeys are emboldened by visitors who feed them and encourage close contact, despite being warned against doing so.

Additionally, monkey attacks on children are not uncommon, either in China or other parts of the world.

In July, an angry monkey attacked a boy in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The incident happened at a local animal centre and it took two adults to prise the monkey off the child.

A similar incident occurred in Arkansas in the US, around the same time, but with a dog. A 39-year-old man was forced to have an adopted stray dog put to sleep after it bit off one of his testicles while he was asleep.