In the video, we see the monkey holding a cell phone and a woman negotiating its exchange for food.
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We all know they are very clever, but some monkeys not only demonstrate intelligence but also great business acumen. In these images captured in Bali, we see a monkey sitting, holding a cell phone in its hand, while a woman tries to reclaim the stolen item.
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The monkey seems to make it clear that it won’t easily give back the item, and the woman searches her bag for something to offer in exchange for her cell phone. She finds what appears to be a piece of fruit and hands it to the animal, but the monkey rejects the proposal.
The woman reaches into her bag again and takes out another piece of fruit to give to the monkey, who, this time, returns the cell phone to its owner and leaves happily with the result of the negotiation. Long-tailed macaques, common in Bali, are famous for boldly stealing from unsuspecting tourists and only releasing the stolen belongings after food is offered as payment.
According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Lethbridge in Canada and the Udayana University in Indonesia, these monkeys have learned to assess which items their victims value most and use this information to maximize their profit. They are so clever that they prefer to target items that humans are more likely to exchange for food, such as electronics, instead of an empty bag or a hairpin, for example.
