A GANG of mischievous monkeys has been stealing tourists’ phones at a popular cliff-side temple in Bali.
The primates are said to be “running a scam” operation at the busy tourist spot.
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This is because the long-tailed macaques are nicking people’s phones and wallets – only to hold them ransom in exchange for food, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Around 600 of these roguish monkeys live at Uluwatu Temple – a Hindu place of worship overlooking the Indian Ocean.
But despite their peaceful abode, they are engaged in an “unprecedented economic decision-making processes”, according to researchers.
A team from the University of Lethbridge looked at reams of footage of the monkeys in action.
In one clip, a monkey can be seen eyeing up a tourist’s tablet computer, which the visitor quickly moves to safety.
But then the mischievous primate goes after a bowl of food on his table – showing how the monkey thieves operate.
These macaques steal as many as 10 smartphones every day from tourists at the temple – amounting to dozens of valuables each week, according to monkey handler Ketut Ariana.
Crucially, they also seem to be able to differentiate between high value items and possessions tourists care less about.
This leads them to go after phones and glasses over objects like hats and hair clips.
Given the monkey’s thefts, the assistance of “pawang” is often needed – monkey handlers who will offer them fruit if they give back the stolen items.
London tourist Jonathan Hammé told the Wall Street Journal: “The monkeys have taken over the temple.
“They’re running a scam.”
Taylor Utley, 36, from Kentucky, told the paper she had her phone swiped by one of the monkeys last year.
She had to wait for a monkey handler to offer the primate fruit until it dropped the stolen device.
“I was taken aback,” she said. “It’s like a criminal enterprise of monkeys.”
Uluwatu Temple has brought in a different feeding schedule for the monkeys in a bid to drive down the thefts.
But the Wall Street Journal reports this has not made a difference, according to Ketut Ariana.
The monkey handler added that when the temple first opened for visitors, tourists would often feed the macaques themselves.
But when the temple stopped letting guests feed them, the monkeys began to steal their belongings.
Many locals are said to consider the macaques to be sacred guardians of the temple.
The site is believed to date to the 10th or 11th century.
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