Strange News!
Wildlife conservation experts at London Zoo discouraging monkey theft — not theft of monkeys but animals stealing fashion accessories from tourists?
[Apr. 9]
Some Bolivian squirrel monkeys at the London Zoo are causing trouble for tourists and visitors there, according to the BBC. The thieving monkeys have been stealing sunglasses off the heads of zoo visitors as they tour the facilities. Zoo officials say the Bolivian squirrel monkeys like to look at their own reflections in the sunglasses and find them very entertaining, but the visitors are not so entertained by the monkey theft. The young Bolivian squirrel monkeys are posing the biggest thieving problem.
This follows an incident in 2006 where a gang of Bolivian squirrel monkeys at the London Zoo were put through a program to discourage them from stealing visitor cell phones, according to website DigitalJournal. The monkeys were attracted to the lights and sounds of the cell phones when visitors would take them out to snap pictures of the monkeys. Zoo keepers discouraged the monkey theft by applying stick substances to old mobile phones.
Now London Zoo keepers are working to put an end to the monkey theft by smearing a substance called “bitter apple” on cheap plastic sunglasses, which keepers introduce to the Bolivian squirrel monkeys in the hopes that the thieving monkeys will decide they dislike the sour taste and will associate the taste with the very real and considerably more expensive sunglasses that visitors to the London Zoo wear.
From the London Zoo website:
Mammals South Team Leader, Tracey Lee says, “We’ve found Ray-Bans and aviator sunglasses already and with more good weather approaching we think it’s a good idea to train the monkeys not to pinch people’s sunglasses.
“They don’t like the taste of anything sour so we are going to put bitter apple on the sunglasses – we hope this will be enough to keep visitors’ eyewear safe this summer.”
London Zoo keeper Kate Sanders told the BBC that the younger monkeys, about a year old, are causing the biggest problem. At least seven pairs of sunglasses have been stolen. “The little ones are very inquisitive,” Sanders said. “They are attracted to the shiny lenses on the sunglasses. Once they get hold of a pair they all race round the enclosure chasing the monkey with the glasses.”
The thieving monkeys are Bolivian squirrel monkeys, which are primarily found in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. They are active in the daytime, making London Zoo visitors prime targets for the monkey theft.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and ZSL London Zoo are committed to green conservation around the world. ZSL works with local communities to preserve the ecosystems and habitats of wild animals worldwide.