I am always puzzled by folk who want to treat wild animals as if they are pets. Feeding monkeys is a no-no, and in fact makes them dangerous. A male Long-tailed Macaque has teeth that make a domestic cat’s teeth look like toys. Ditto claws. And we all know how much damage a cat can inflict if they put their mind to it. Wild animals accustomed to being fed get mad when they are not. Macaques are predators and killers in the wild. In close proximity to a human who refuses to feed them, they are vicious.
They are also intelligent. Here is one trying to open the doot to our hotel room. The only reason he didn’t succeed was because it was locked as well as closed.
I have heard the monkeys on the Rock of Gibralter can swarm you which I have always thought quite a frightening idea. Those of us who have to settle for Safari Parks are horrified to find people driving through with their windows open to feed the little darlings as they go past and then people wonder why bears rear up and lean on cars. Glad you had your window locked.
It's a good thing that they don't know how to pick locks…yet.
I think part of the problem is that people see them as engaging creatures on the television and get an unrealistic picture of what they can do – and will do – in the wild. I suspect with monkeys there's quite an element of anthropomorphising them too.
Talking of safari parks many years ago when there was a lion park in Perth a man was pulled out of his car through a window he had opened so he could take photos despite all the signs telling visitors how dangerous it was. I couldn't believe how anyone could be so stupid having driven through a few weeks before in my smallish Mazda (windows tightly up). I had been truly shocked when a large lion sauntered along beside us and I realised exactly how big they were – and how fragile my relatively small car was.
We had a similar experience with a rhino, it was heading towards us at a rate of knots, we accelerated and got out of there in a hurry.
Had a bear lean on the car too, but not as dangerous with the window closed.
We have the same problem with the dingoes on Fraser Island (Queensland). Bloody tourists keep feeding them and then wonder why they won't stay away from the resort and campsites.
We had a dingo on our hotel room verandah, just laying in the shade. Fortunately, they can't open the doors…