The Poorest Cry I Ever HeardâŚ
Iâll never forget the sound. It wasnât loudâbut it went straight into my heart like a tiny alarm. A baby monkey, barely able to stand, sat near a tree stump in the dry grass, her little body shaking with weakness. Her stomach was visibly sunken, her fur dull, and her faceâoh, her faceâwas streaked with dust and tiny tears. She was crying. Not for play, not out of mischief. This was hunger. Desperate, painful hunger.
I crouched behind a small tree, camera in hand, watching silently. I was visiting a monkey sanctuary near the edge of the forest. This wasnât supposed to be a rescue mission. But that babyâs cry said otherwise.
Her name would later be âLulu.â I didnât know it then, but I had just met one of the saddest little souls in the jungle.
No One Came to Feed Her
Lulu kept cryingâthose soft, heartbreaking whimpers, mouth opening wide each time she tried calling out for someone. Other monkeys wandered nearby, including older juveniles and mothers with their babies. Some looked over but didnât stop. None of them were her mom.
That was the first clue. She was alone.
Then I noticed the way she movedâor didnât. When she tried to crawl closer to a group near a fruit patch, she was pushed aside by a larger monkey. She stumbled back, falling to her side. She didnât even cry out in pain. It was like she didnât have the energy left for that.
Her Little Hands Clutched at Nothing
I stepped in slowly, cautiously. I didn’t want to startle her, but my instincts told me she needed help immediately. I gently laid down a small banana and waited.
She didn’t even grab it. She just looked at me with the widest, saddest eyes Iâve ever seen. Her hands trembled as she tried to crawl toward it. When she finally reached the fruit, she pressed her face into it, trying to suck the sweet pulp without even peeling it. She was that hungry.
I was choking back tears. I recorded every momentânot to exploit her, but because I knew the world needed to see this. To understand that wild animals, especially the smallest ones, feel pain and hunger just like us.
A Moment of Trust
Eventually, I offered her water from a small bottle. She paused, watching me cautiously. But then, maybe from pure desperation, she leaned forward and drank. And drank. And drank. Her tiny throat moved with each gulp.
She looked at me like I was the only creature who had seen her suffering. And in that moment, I think she decided to trust me.
I knew I had to do more than just feed her once. I carefully wrapped her in a soft towel and took her to the reserve’s care team. They had seen worseâbut even they were shocked by how malnourished she was.
A New Start for Baby Lulu
Over the next few days, Lulu began recovering. She slept curled in a warm basket, tucked into a soft blanket. She ate small, frequent mealsâwarm milk formula, mashed bananas, and a vitamin-rich supplement paste. She slowly gained strength. Her cries became softer, but now more like a baby calling outânot from pain, but from wanting to be near someone.
She loved being held. Whenever one of the volunteers entered the room, sheâd try to lift her arms up toward them. It was her way of saying, âPlease, donât leave me alone again.â
Why Was Lulu Alone?
We may never know for sure. Sometimes baby monkeys get separated from their mothers during fights between groups. Sometimes the mother doesnât survive. In rarer, heartbreaking cases, the mother might reject a baby due to illness or extreme stress.
What we knew for sure was this: Lulu needed love. She needed care. And above allâshe deserved a second chance.
A Message from My Heart â¤ď¸
Iâve seen many monkey stories. Some are sweet, some funny. But Luluâs story stayed with me because it reminded me that these little creatures arenât just cuteâtheyâre vulnerable. And they suffer, often quietly.
If youâre ever lucky enough to meet a monkey in the wild or in a sanctuary, remember that behind their playful energy is a heart that feels hunger, fear, and love just like ours.
Please help support rescue efforts. Share Luluâs story. Let her voice reach the world. Let her cry for food turn into a cry of joy and healing.