A heartbreaking sound disturbed the usual quiet of the troop’s resting time—a pitiful little baby monkey lying on its mother’s lap, crying loudly even as its mother tried to nurse it. This was not the quiet, contented suckling of a healthy infant. The mother, named Elara, held her newborn close, offering milk with gentle insistence, but every time the baby latched, it would jerk back with a pained shriek, crying loudly as if the very nourishment meant to soothe it was causing agony.
The infant, named Kwan, was lying limp between attempts, too weak to cling properly. It would nuzzle, try to feed, and then twist away, its tiny face contorted in distress. Elara, confused and anxious, kept adjusting her hold, grooming him frantically, and trying again. The pitiful scene spoke of a hidden crisis: the milk was flowing, but something was terribly wrong.
The problem, invisible to Elara, was likely a severe oral injury or infection. A canker sore, a thrush infection, or a cut inside the mouth or throat can make swallowing excruciating. For Kwan, the instinct to drink clashed violently with the sharp pain each swallow triggered. He was trapped—desperately needing the milk to live, but physically unable to bear the act of consuming it. His loud crying during feeding was a scream of frustration, hunger, and pain all at once.
The troop watched with concerned chatter but could do little. As the cycle continued, Kwan grew weaker, his cries becoming hoarser. His pitiful state—caught between his mother’s milk and his own pain—was a race against time.
Salvation came from an observer. A conservation medic monitoring the troop recognized the signs of oral distress. Once the troop moved on, she retrieved the exhausted Kwan. A quick examination under sedation revealed a large, ulcerated abscess on his palate. The medical team drained the infection, administered antibiotics and pain relief, and fed him via a painless subcutaneous drip until the healing began.
Days later, reunited with Elara, Kwan latched on and fed without a single cry. The pitiful little baby monkey was no longer lying crying loudly during mom giving milk. He was drinking peacefully, the barrier of pain removed, finally able to accept the comfort and life his mother had been offering all along.
