ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A 12-year-old boy from rural Ethiopia has captured widespread attention after taking an unusual but heartfelt step to save his ailing chicken, rushing it to a human hospital in a moment of childlike concern that has since gone viral.
Markos Abaye, who lives in the Amhara region, developed a deep attachment to animals while growing up in the countryside. Earlier this month, when his pet chicken fell ill and failed to respond to home remedies, the boy picked up the bird and headed straight to Denbecha Primary Hospital, believing it could receive treatment there.
A video recorded by a nurse at the facility shows Markos standing anxiously at the hospital, gently holding the distressed chicken as he explains its condition.
“She is wheezing,” he says in the clip, his face filled with worry.
A nurse, Umer Chane, calmly explains to him that the facility treats humans, not animals.
“Listen, there are doctors who treat animals. You have to take her there. This is a hospital for humans. Okay, dear?,” the nurse is heard saying.
The footage, later shared on TikTok, has since amassed more than 770,000 views, with many social media users praising the boy’s compassion and innocence.
Markos later took the chicken to a veterinary clinic, where it received treatment and recovered, according to his family.
His uncle and guardian, Kelemework Amogne, said the boy was deeply distressed when the chicken fell ill, to the extent that he stopped eating and studying properly.
“He watches her carefully when she walks. He even studies her footprints,” the uncle said, adding that Markos had even created makeshift “bridges” over holes in the ground so the chicken would not fall.
The boy was sent to live with his uncle in 2023 when conflict escalated in the Amhara region, where fighting between Ethiopia’s army and local militia groups, known as Fano, raised safety concerns in rural areas. His grandparents gave him the chicken as a farewell gift, a gesture that appears to have strengthened their bond.
According to the family, Markos was unaware that veterinary services existed in the area, which led him to assume the hospital would also treat animals.
“I could see the kindness in his face,” said nurse Umer Chane, who recorded the video. “He hugged the chicken tightly, worried about her condition, even as others tried to make fun of him.”
The video’s spread on social media surprised the family, who only learned of it days later after recognising Markos in the footage.
“He thought of a hospital as one that could treat both people and animals,” his uncle said. “It seemed like a dream.”
Markos himself told the BBC that his chicken has since recovered.
“My chicken is better now. I’m going to give her the 12 eggs I saved so she can hatch them,” he said.
The story has since drawn national attention in Ethiopia, with a local poultry company pledging to donate 100 chickens to Markos and provide him with poultry farming training, a gesture aimed at nurturing what many now see as an early passion for animal care.
