On the southern tip of the Indonesian vacation hotspot known for its beaches, tourists flock to Uluwatu Temple for traditional fire dance shows and panoramic views at sunset with the Indian Ocean crashing below. The Balinese Hindu site dates back to at least the 11th century and the roughly 600 monkeys that inhabit it are considered by locals to be sacred guardians of the temple.
Primate researchers have found that the macaques steal belongings to use as currency to trade with humans for food. Some monkeys can distinguish between objects we highly value (smartphones, prescription glasses, wallets) and those we don’t (hats, flip flops, hair clips)—and will barter accordingly, according to a University of Lethbridge team that spent years filming the macaques and analyzing hundreds of hours of footage.
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Many cases require the help of the temple’s monkey handlers, called “pawang,” who negotiate with the furry hostage-takers. They offer fruits such as bananas, mangos, rambutan and mangosteen in exchange for the stolen items. In rare cases, they use raw chicken eggs, highly coveted by the monkeys.
Ketut Ariana, a 52-year-old who has been working for the temple as a monkey handler for two decades, said the animals steal dozens of items a week, including five to 10 smartphones a day.
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There are different theories of when and how the stealing began. Ariana, the monkey handler, said the theft predates tourists. They used to steal jewelry from people who came for religious ceremonies. Now, they steal glasses and smartphones.
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Kadek Ari Astawa, who coordinates the monkey handlers, said he heard that when the site first opened to tourism, visitors sometimes fed the monkeys. When temple management started feeding them a regular diet and forbade tourists from giving them food, the monkeys began to steal visitors’ belongings.
Astawa said the temple has tried many methods to attempt to curb the stealing: different feeding schedules (from three to six times a day) and different food at the regular feedings (corn, sweet potato, mangos and other options). But the robbing behavior continues.
This has been a thing for a long time. I went there in late 2000s and the monkey's already had a long reputation. We were told to keep everything zipped in our bag, hats, sunglasses, phones, etc....
This has been a thing for a long time. I went there in late 2000s and the monkey's already had a long reputation. We were told to keep everything zipped in our bag, hats, sunglasses, phones, etc. if the monkey's wanted something, we were told to give it up, they get combative and will scratch and bite if you try to hold onto something they want.
From the article:
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This has been a thing for a long time. I went there in late 2000s and the monkey's already had a long reputation. We were told to keep everything zipped in our bag, hats, sunglasses, phones, etc. if the monkey's wanted something, we were told to give it up, they get combative and will scratch and bite if you try to hold onto something they want.