For 12-year-old Markos Abaye, a displaced child growing up in rural Ethiopia, one small feathered companion has become his whole world. So when his beloved pet chicken fell ill earlier this month, unresponsive to every home remedy his young mind could devise, he did what felt like the only logical step: he laced up his shoes, tucked the ailing bird close to his chest, and rushed her straight to the nearest local hospital.
Markos’ desperate act of kindness has since captured global attention after a nurse on duty at Denbecha Primary Hospital, located in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, filmed the unlikely patient and her worried young owner and shared the clip on TikTok. To date, the video has amassed more than 770,000 views, leaving thousands of viewers across Ethiopia and beyond moved by the preteen’s profound compassion for his animal companion.
In the viral footage, Markos can be seen cradling the sick hen tightly, his face etched with worry as he explains to the nurse, “She is wheezing.” Nurse Umer Chane, who recorded the interaction, gently responded: “Listen, there are doctors who treat animals. You have to take her there. This is a hospital for humans. Okay, dear?”
What many viewers do not know from the 15-second viral clip is the deeper backstory that binds Markos to this chicken. Markos moved in with his uncle and guardian Kelemework Amogne in August 2023, when violent conflict broke out between the Ethiopian national army and local Fano militias in Amhara. Fearing for the boy’s safety, his grandparents sent him away to live with his uncle, and gave him the chicken as a cherished parting gift.
Since then, Markos has formed an unbreakable bond with the hen. His uncle shared that the boy watches the bird’s every move, even mapping her footpaths and building tiny earthen bridges over small holes in the ground to keep her from falling. When the chicken fell ill, Markos was so distraught that he stopped eating and attending to his schoolwork. Kelemework had suggested the boy seek out professional help for the hen, but Markos had no idea that specialized veterinary clinics existed in his town of Denbecha – to him, a hospital was simply a place where any sick living thing could get care.
Even as onlookers in the hospital teased the boy for bringing a chicken to a human medical facility, Umer the nurse said he could see nothing but pure, earnest kindness in Markos’ face. “He hugged the chicken tightly, worried about her condition, even as others tried to make fun of him,” Umer told the BBC. Struck by the moment, Umer posted the video to TikTok, never expecting it to blow up across the country.
When Markos returned home after his hospital trip, he only told his uncle that people had laughed at him. It was not until days later, when the family stumbled on the viral video online, that they realized the boy’s act of love had captured national attention. “He thought of a hospital as one that could treat both people and animals,” Kelemework explained, adding that he has been stunned by the outpouring of support for his nephew. “It seemed like a dream!”
Thankfully, Markos’ beloved chicken has already made a full recovery. The 12-year-old told reporters he is now planning to let the hen hatch the 12 eggs he has saved up for her.
Following the viral spread of Markos’ story, a local Ethiopian poultry company has stepped forward to honor his love of animals: the firm announced it will donate 100 chickens to Markos, as well as provide him with formal training in poultry farming to help him turn his passion into a skill for the future.