ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
All three members of the Hamilton family stuck with botulism after eating freshly slaughtered wild boar meat have regained consciousness.
Unfortunately, they have lost their memories of the last month.
Shibu Kochummen, 35, his wife Subi Babu, 33, and his mother Alekutty Daniel, 62, had taken freshly slaughtered wild boar curry for dinner more than three weeks ago at their Putaruru home.
Daniel woke up first, followed by Kochummen earlier this week, but it was not until Friday that Babu opened her eyes media reported.
Joji Verghese, a friend of the family who knew them from the church, said that it was a 'big relief' that family had regained consciousness. The family is trying to recollect the memories of the last one month, who were said to expect short-term memory loss as a part of the recovery process.
“It is going to take time for everything to fall into place.
“Although Babu could not communicate property yet, she asked for her children if they were safe when she woke up,” Verghese told the media.
Both daughters, 7 and 12 months, have been in to visit, Varghese said
"The family has had no other treatment but for botulism and they have come around, so I think that's what it was," Varghese told media.
With the school holidays coming up, the two children are going to travel to India to stay with their grandparents to give their parents some time to recover.
Joji Vergese set up a Givealittle page for the family, which will help go towards their airfares.
An aunt who had come over from India has since gone back, and an uncle is still here.
Varghese said there are some questions about whether ACC would assist the family.
Kochummen had killed the boar while on a hunting trip with friends on November 10.
Within minutes of consuming the meal, Daniel collapsed, vomiting, at the family's Putaruru home.
Kochummen called an ambulance, but while on the phone he, too, collapsed.
Emergency services arrived to find the trio on the floor, unresponsive and vomiting.
The last known case of botulism in New Zealand was in 2015.
The children were asleep at the time and did not eat the wild boar meat.
They are currently being cared for by members of the family's church, the Hamilton Marthoma congregation.
The family moved to New Zealand from India five years ago and lived in Tokoroa for three years before moving to Putaruru last year.
All three members of the Hamilton family stuck with botulism after eating freshly slaughtered wild boar meat have regained consciousness.
Unfortunately, they have lost their memories of the last month.
Shibu Kochummen, 35, his wife Subi Babu, 33, and his mother Alekutty Daniel, 62, had taken...
All three members of the Hamilton family stuck with botulism after eating freshly slaughtered wild boar meat have regained consciousness.
Unfortunately, they have lost their memories of the last month.
Shibu Kochummen, 35, his wife Subi Babu, 33, and his mother Alekutty Daniel, 62, had taken freshly slaughtered wild boar curry for dinner more than three weeks ago at their Putaruru home.
Daniel woke up first, followed by Kochummen earlier this week, but it was not until Friday that Babu opened her eyes media reported.
Joji Verghese, a friend of the family who knew them from the church, said that it was a 'big relief' that family had regained consciousness. The family is trying to recollect the memories of the last one month, who were said to expect short-term memory loss as a part of the recovery process.
“It is going to take time for everything to fall into place.
“Although Babu could not communicate property yet, she asked for her children if they were safe when she woke up,” Verghese told the media.
Both daughters, 7 and 12 months, have been in to visit, Varghese said
"The family has had no other treatment but for botulism and they have come around, so I think that's what it was," Varghese told media.
With the school holidays coming up, the two children are going to travel to India to stay with their grandparents to give their parents some time to recover.
Joji Vergese set up a Givealittle page for the family, which will help go towards their airfares.
An aunt who had come over from India has since gone back, and an uncle is still here.
Varghese said there are some questions about whether ACC would assist the family.
Kochummen had killed the boar while on a hunting trip with friends on November 10.
Within minutes of consuming the meal, Daniel collapsed, vomiting, at the family's Putaruru home.
Kochummen called an ambulance, but while on the phone he, too, collapsed.
Emergency services arrived to find the trio on the floor, unresponsive and vomiting.
The last known case of botulism in New Zealand was in 2015.
The children were asleep at the time and did not eat the wild boar meat.
They are currently being cared for by members of the family's church, the Hamilton Marthoma congregation.
The family moved to New Zealand from India five years ago and lived in Tokoroa for three years before moving to Putaruru last year.
Leave a Comment