In the chaotic rhythm of jungle life, not all stories begin with comfort and care. For baby monkey Calvin, an orphan left without his biological mother, survival meant being accepted by another. But the new chapter of his life under foster mom Casi hasn’t turned out to be the gentle rescue he needed—instead, it has become a daily struggle filled with confusion, rejection, and rough treatment.
Calvin was only a few weeks old when he lost his birth mother. Still small and emotionally fragile, he was too young to care for himself. The troop’s elders nudged him toward Casi, an adult female without a young baby of her own. At first, it seemed like a hopeful pairing. She accepted his presence, even allowing him to follow her and sleep nearby. But as days went on, her behavior revealed a different truth—one filled with distance, impatience, and at times, alarming aggression.
From sunrise, the pattern was clear. While the rest of the troop moved about feeding, playing, and bonding, Calvin clung desperately to Casi, hoping to be treated like her own. Instead, she pulled away, often pushing him off when he tried to hold on. He cried loudly, not only from hunger but from the heartbreak of not being accepted. Every attempt to reach for her belly to nurse was met with a harsh slap or a rough shove.
Casi didn’t groom him like other moms did with their babies. She barely looked at him. Sometimes, in front of the troop, she’d grab Calvin by the arm or tail and swing him aside when she grew tired of his begging. These moments drew gasps from those watching—Calvin’s small body wasn’t built to withstand such force. He was not just being neglected—he was being hurt.
Despite the mistreatment, Calvin continued to follow her, because she was all he had. His tiny face looked worn beyond his age, and his little body, though still growing, bore marks of rejection—tiny scratches, a swollen eye, and patches of fur disturbed by stress. But what choice did he have? In the wild, without a mother, survival is almost impossible.
By mid-afternoon, the troop rested, and Calvin sat nearby, watching Casi from a distance. He didn’t dare approach her too closely, having learned the hard way what her reaction might be. He nibbled on a fallen fruit, trying to feed himself, but he was still too young to know what he could and couldn’t eat.
As the sun dipped low and the forest began to cool, Calvin curled himself into a tight ball beside a tree trunk—not beside Casi. She had moved off to rest with other adult females. The distance between them said everything.
This is the harsh side of jungle life. Not every adoption is full of love. For little Calvin, being taken in by Casi hasn’t meant safety—it has meant a new kind of pain. And while his spirit remains strong, his daily life is a quiet battle for care, comfort, and simple survival.
