« Monkey Wrenches: Primates With Tools | Main | Why Can't I Have A Pet Hippo? »

September 10, 2005

Mad About Monkeys

A Monkey Made Me Do It
Remember when I talked about those snow monkeys in Japan that attacked us and stole all our stuff? Well, it's actually quite a problem with the locals. Monkeys harass people for food and cause some pretty serious property damage. However sometimes, just like saying the dog did it or something, it's not really monkeys at all...

JAPAN -

A man dressed in a monkey costume threatened an employee at a local convenience store with a knife in the predawn hours of Tuesday in an unsuccessful robbery attempt.

...

Simian stealings have been reported in the recent past in Japan. However, these thefts were usually carried out by Japanese macaques robbing fields of fruits in Aomori Prefecture or tourists of their sweets in Tochigi Prefecture's Nikko.

Thefts by monkeys prompted Nikko to outlaw tourists feeding the primates in the area, with fines for offenders. These simian thefts, however, were all carried out by actual monkeys and not a person wearing a monkey suit.

More at: WTOP Radio: Man, Dressed as Monkey, Tries to Rob Store

Let me tell you, the monkeys are smarter than this guy. They would have gotten away with it! That said, they would have been after the rice crackers, not the money.

Speaking of the smart monkeys... what about primates with tools?

Posted by sorsha at September 10, 2005 10:45 PM