Credits: Social Media
Bali monkey rips tourist’s passport to shreds in video
A tourist was forced with no option but to watch a local monkey rip her passport to shreds during a trip to Bali.�
The passport appeared unsalvageable after the monkeys mischievous work, despite the tourist attempting to trade for it.
Monkey theft is a rising threat to tourists on the Indonesian island, with monkeys reportedly even learning to hold expensive items hostage for food.�
The monkey ripped the passport apart
A damaged passport is a nightmare enough for any tourist, but one that was ripped to pieces by a monkey is potentially a whole new level. It was the reality for one recent Bali visitor.
The video was captured by Bali resident @noemirojasr, who posted the video to her Instagram account. It was re-shared by the popular account Idiiots in Bali just three days ago.
In the clip, the tourist was left in a tricky dilemma, with the monkey perched on the railing looking through her passport. The tourist already appeared panicked, but the moment immediately intensified, when the animal began to use its mouth on the passport.
The monkey ripped pages one by one from the important travel document. This of course makes the passport immediately unusable and its likely that the visitor will need to visit an embassy to get back home.
Despite the womans attempt at trading a different object, seemingly hoping to distract the monkey with the new offer, it didnt work. Instead, another monkey also approached at the scene, appearing to make the tourist jump.
Monkeys are known for stealing in Bali
Tourists in Indonesia are warned by officials to remain vigilant of their belongings while visiting locations with roaming monkeys. Although monkeys often go for unimportant items like sunglasses or water bottles, they have been known to go for far more expensive objects too.
In fact, Australian insurance company Southern Cross Travel reports that one traveler claimed $8560 for a bag stolen by a monkey in Uluwatu, Bali. The bag contained hearing aids, a phone, and money.
In the past five years, the company says it paid $17,000 in insurance claims to travelers who had their belongings stolen by Bali monkeys.�
Bali monkeys are getting clever
Not only do the monkeys in Bali steal expensive things, but studies show that they actually might do it with purpose too.
A 2021 study found that the monkeys are able to identify which of the belongings are the most valuable and thus likely to get them more food in return for a trade situation.�
The monkeys have appeared to learn that humans are more likely to exchange food for objects like electronics than less-important ones like camera bags. As per the research, Mobile phones, wallets, and prescription glasses are some of the high-value items monkeys tend to go for.
Researchers spent over 273 days filming the monkeys at a Bali temple and found that they often even barter with visitors, demanding more food in order to return the item. One monkey even took 25 minutes to return an item, with 17 of those spent negotiating more food.
