Published 01:39 IST, October 30th 2019
Mother Monkey carries stillborn Baby for 10 days until corpse decayed
A tragic video shows a mother monkey carrying her stillborn baby for the past 10 days. The mother was taking care of the stillborn until corpse started to decay
There have been several incidences of primitives carrying their stillborns. Another tragic video shows a mother monkey carrying her stillborn baby for the past 10 days. It is reported that the stillborn baby was born on October 9. The mother of the baby was captured on the video, taking care of the stillborn for the next 10 days, till the corpse started to decay.
Mother monkey carrying her stillborn baby
Tracey Mobley studied the behaviour of the mother monkey for ten days and also filmed the entire process as a contribution to her field guide qualification which she is currently pursuing at Campfire Academy, Olifants West, South Africa. In the video, one can see a mother monkey carrying and grooming the stillborn baby. The mother even expresses her grief and is certainly capable of understanding that her baby is dead. The video is distressing as the mother continuously tries to bring back her baby to life. This is a particular behaviour of the primates, where they cling to the corpse of their infants. The unusual behaviour has often been reported.
Mother monkey engages with stillborn to activate reflexes
Tracy told international media that, the mother monkey was trying to engage with her stillborn in order to activate its reflexes. The process begins with clinging, then she would carry the baby in her hands and later with her mouth. It was certain that the mother monkey wanted to utilize all her limbs with a hope to bring her baby back to life. She said that the body of the baby started to decompose and yet the mother would carry it along. It was an upsetting sight as the days passed by. Tracy observed the behaviour of the monkey for the next ten days. Tracy reflected that initially the legs and arms of the baby were floppy which later became still. By the end of 10 days, the corpse was mummified with a strong smell of rotting.
The behaviour is normal among primates
She, however, concluded that it's normal for mothers to carry the corpse of their infants even when only the skeletal remains are left. The mothers carry the corpse for several days and bestow their care and affection just like they would do to their normal and living baby. This behaviour has been reported several times in the past.
Updated 01:39 IST, October 30th 2019