This is the moment a monkey attacks a screaming six-year-old boy in a park after he and his family fed it some mango.

Moment Primate Attacks Screaming Boy, 6 pic.twitter.com/0mnRS6wwlR

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The incident took place in the municipality of Sorriso, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, which is in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest, on Sunday, 21st May.

The video shows the screaming six-year-old, named as Heitor, clutching his head as the monkey grabs hold of him, pulling at him while keeping his hind legs firmly gripped to the tree in the park.

Heitor had reportedly been having a picnic with his family, with the boy’s uncle, named as Michael Veras, saying that the child had approached the monkey when he was attacked.

Michael said: “We were in the green area and there were more people, including children, and also Heitor’s cousins, who also approached to see the little monkey.”

He added that his family had given the monkey, reportedly a female, a piece of mango, which he said may have encouraged it to investigate further.

But the city authorities said it was not the first time that the monkey had attacked people and that they would now attempt to capture her to make sure that both people and the animal can remain safe.

The child was taken to hospital and needed four stitches to his head.

He was also given an antirabies vaccine.

Other footage shows the monkey resting peacefully in a tree, reportedly moments before it attacked the child.

A curious dog can be seen approaching the primate, which can be seen climbing down from its perch before pausing and retreating slightly. The dog then moves away.

The authorities asked people to respect the signs in place in the city’s parks and to avoid feeding the animals, adding that people should also avoid approaching them.