A monkey attacked an 8 month old baby as his mother was changing him at a zoo in Southwest China; the monkey absconded with one of the toddler's testicles.

According to the Mirror, the mother was changing her son's diaper when the animal attacked, ripping off the testicle before dropping it onto the ground.

An elderly man then reportedly picked up the severed appendage but the monkey snatched it from his hand before scampering away and eating it.

The boy's injury is not life-threatening, Chinese media reports.

Monkey numbers at the zoo are said to have rocketed from around 70 to 500 in the past few years.

The animals are fed three times a day by their keepers. Sadly it was four times on this day.

However, members of the public are understood to like to feed the monkeys too - despite the presence of signs warning against this.