Most safari sightings are animals in the wild interacting with each other, whether that’s predators hunting prey, or animals asserting dominance and maintaining territorial boundaries.
Sometimes, though, these animals will interact with the humans that are watching them as well, and not all of these interactions are entirely positive. For most animals, safari goers are a mild distraction, but sometimes they can be a source of profit.
For the monkey which Cheri Marks spotted in Afsaal in the Kruger National Park, it had been a very profitable day indeed, presumably to the detriment of some poor and heartbroken child somewhere else in the park.
Tasty Treat Spotting
While human tourists were exploring the park, looking to spot wild animals enjoying life in their natural habitats, some of the animals were looking back, spotting for tasty treats which they might be able to snag from the hands of unsuspecting children.
The crime itself must have happened only moments before Cheri spotted the monkey, although she didn’t witness the act of theft herself, or see who the victim of this heinous crime truly was.
Hopefully it was a genuine crime and the monkey stole the food from a careless person, as visitors to the park should not feed the animals due to some pretty serious ramifications it can have.
Doing Some Detective Work
Given the relative state of the lollipop, the monkey committed the theft during the day, making it all the more dastardly that the monkey managed to get away with it.
The Asfaal area, on the H3 road, has a picnic site, meaning quick-fingered animals like these monkeys might have learned to keep an eye on the area so that they can swoop in and take any unguarded food.
For them, it’s a clever way to ensure access to nice meals without having to put much effort into foraging, instead relying of feats of subterfuge and potentially even more nefarious habits such as distraction and pickpocketing.
The Victorious Monkey
If the lollipop had already been unwrapped, then its bright green color would have attracted the eye of the hungry monkey, and such a prize was likely far too attractive to be missed. Once it had the opportunity, it must have snatched it and fled to the trees where Cheri spotted it.
There it reigned victorious over its fellows, superior because of its success in stealing food, and because of the tasty treat which it now got to enjoy as a result of its pilfering habits.
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Flaunting Its Success
The monkey clearly felt no remorse at stealing from a child, and it was quite happy to show off evidence of the crime as it consumed it in the trees. It’s important not to feed the animals in the Kruger, and to keep food in a place where they can’t find or steal it.
Feeding animals in the Kruger is not allowed for the safety of the animals. If they learn to approach humans then this would likely lead to an increase in dangerous encounters between tourists and dangerous predators.
These are wild and unpredictable creatures, and if a lion, hippo or elephant grows accustomed to receiving food from humans, then it’s more likely to approach them and might turn violent when denied in the future.