Mother Monkey Happy to Hit Her Baby – A Sad Truth of Rejection
In the wild forest, deep among the branches where life thrives with chaos and survival, a small troop of monkeys moved from tree to tree. Among them was a mother monkey named Sela and her tiny baby, barely a few weeks old, named Kino. But something was wrong in their bond. Unlike the warm, protective love most monkey mothers show, Sela showed no joy in caring for Kino. In fact, she seemed angry—happy even—when he cried and struggled.
Kino, small and helpless, clung tightly to his mother’s belly every time she moved. But instead of holding him close, Sela often pulled his little hands away and pushed him aside. The troop members noticed. Some older mothers glanced with silent worry, while younger monkeys didn’t understand why a baby was being pushed and slapped by the one who gave him life.
Every time Kino cried—his tiny voice shaking the air with helpless sadness—Sela’s face didn’t soften. Instead, she sometimes bared her teeth and used her hand to hit the baby across the back or head. Not hard enough to break him, but enough to show anger. Enough to tell the baby: you are not wanted.
Kino would scream in confusion and pain. His baby eyes looked up at her, searching, asking, Why? But Sela showed no pity. In fact, some moments looked as if she was pleased to see the baby cry. She sat still, ignoring his tears as though they meant nothing. When Kino tried to come closer, she pushed him again, sometimes throwing him to the ground.
No one could explain her behavior. Maybe something inside her had broken. Maybe she had gone through too much trauma in her own past. Or maybe she simply didn’t bond with Kino after birth. In the animal world, sometimes mothers reject their young without reason that humans can understand. But to witness it—was painful.
Kino, with no milk to drink and no warmth to rest in, grew weaker. He cried for hours, but no other monkey came to help. They knew not to interfere. The forest can be cruel, and in the wild, a rejected baby often has no second chance. Sela sat in the sun, grooming herself, eating, even playing with others—but never once looked at Kino with love.
Some moments, she would return to him only to hit or push him again. And when Kino whimpered, Sela looked satisfied, as if punishing him gave her relief. She was a mother, but not a loving one.
This is a sad truth that sometimes happens in the animal world. Not every mother loves her baby. And not every baby gets to feel warmth and safety. Kino’s days were filled with pain and fear—not from predators, but from the one he needed most.
A mother’s love is supposed to be a shelter. But for little Kino, it became a storm.
