An injured wild monkey left to die by a hit-and-run driver was rescued in Thailand.

Locals said the crab-eating macaque slipped down from a tree into a road when a motorist hit the creature in Phetchabun province, on October 24.

However, the heartless driver reportedly left the bloodied creature until vendor Nattapon Jaikla, 44, found it and called the rescuers.

Footage shows the hurt primate with blood flowing out of his mouth. Another clip showed rescuers trying to catch the injured animal as it fled the scene while locals called for help.

Vendor Nattapon said: ‘I was arranging fruits in my stall when I heard the loud thud. My grandmother heard it too and told me to check.

‘I saw the monkey in the middle of the road. I think it fell from a tree and was hit by a car.'

Nattapon's grandmother Mali Songkong, 74, said: ‘I heard a loud noise and saw a pickup truck pass by. When we went to the area where the sound was heard there was a bleeding monkey.'

Rescuers searched for the creature as it had ran away and found it clinging on top of a large tamarind tree nearby.

The tree was 65ft high so they asked for the help of national park rangers and wildlife agency officials.

Rescuers waited for the macaque to climb down and shot it with a tranquiliser.

A wildlife officer said: ‘We can't shoot it with tranquilisers while it was still up the tree because the monkey might fall down. We waited and caught it eventually with a bait.'

The monkey was taken to a facility and is recovering from its injuries.