In an uncommon case, maternal instinct is proving to be detrimental to the health of a baby adopted by a mother who lost her own offspring some time ago. The mother in this case is a rhesus macaque while the baby is a kitten 'adopted' by the simian.
locals state that a female macaque, probably disturbed by the death of her own offspring some days ago, has been moving around with a recently born kitten. The simian has been trying to nurture the little kitten with her milk for about ten days now, moving around the town, taking the little cat along.
Apparently treating the kitten as a replacement for her own lost child, the monkey is seen moving around the town with the kitten while also attempting to feed it the food that she herself survives on. However, due to dietary and other issues, the kitten does not seem to be faring well and has been seen becoming thin and deteriorating in health apparently. No animal lover has yet bothered to come to the rescue of the kitten.
The death of the baby appeared to have an effect on the simian mother who became quieter till she came across a recently born kitten. Since then, the female macaque has been carrying the kitten along with it, while jumping from one tree branch to another or while navigating the urban landscape of buildings and roads.
It is not very uncommon behaviour for a mammal mother to find a replacement after being disturbed by the death of an infant. However, some opine that in this age when there is no dearth of people providing expert opinions and indulging in armchair activism on animal welfare and other issues on the social media, no one has yet come forward to the rescue of this odd pair of simian and kitten.