Have you wondered why our blog is called Monkey’s Tale? It’s because we love monkeys! While travelling in Asia for 20 months we were entertained, amazed and even frightened by many different monkeys and apes. Here are some of our favourites.
Some monkeys made us laugh with their playful antics.
Macaques play fighting, SigiriyaBonnet Macaques outside Chamundeshwari Temple, MysoreBaby Grey Langur learning to climbMacaque climbing on the ruins, Sigiriya RockToque macaques on our hotel balcony, KandyBako National Park, BorneoLabuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
Click on the arrow at the side of the picture to see a monkey play-fight.
Some monkeys made us laugh because of their peculiar faces.
Proboscis, Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey SanctuaryLabuk Bay Proboscis Monkey SanctuaryLooks like he’s from ‘Planet of the Apes’, Swayambhunath, KathmanduToque Macaque, Arugam BayBaboon, Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, BorneoSpectacled Langur, Railay, ThailandBaby Toque Macaque, Sigiriya Toque Macaque, SigiriyaToque Macaque, Mulkirigala Raja Maha Vihara Temple Crab-eating macaque, Lopburi, ThailandPashupatinath Temple, KathmanduLabuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
We saw many taking care of each other.
Grey Langurs, Monsoon Palace, UdaipurCrab-eating macaques, Lopburi, ThailandMonkey massage, PolonnaruwaLabuk Bay Proboscis Monkey SanctuaryMacaques, Lopburi, ThailandToque macaques around Kandy LakeGrey Langur monkeys in RishikeshCrab-eating macaques, Lopburi, Thailand
They eat almost anything.
We often saw monkeys eating fruit but they also ate temple offerings, chips and sugary drinks. Our favourite, however, was when we saw monkeys eating in the wild. Below you can see a long-tailed macaque pulling out a lily from the Kinabatangan River in Borneo. (Click on the arrow on the last picture to see the action in sequence.)
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, BorneoToque Macaque, MihintaleToque macaque eating offerings at Mahaseya Dagoba, MihintaleCrab-eating macaque with a stolen drink, Bako National Park, BorneoRhesus monkey at Swayambhunath, KathmanduRhesus Monkey on Swayambhunath kora
Some monkeys were quite aggressive.
In Phetchaburi and Lopburi, Thailand, the downtown streets and temples were overrun with aggressive crab-eating macaques. Monkeys would sit on electrical wires, roofs and sidewalks waiting for their opportunity to pounce. This was long before animals took to the streets during the coronavirus lockdown. Staff at a few temples had sling shots to control the ones that were too aggressive. In some places we had to scare them off with a stick (don’t worry, no monkeys were harmed). Shimla, in northern India, also had aggressive monkeys. Rhesus macaques hounded worshipers on the steps leading to the Jakhoo Temple. Ironically the temple is dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman.
The most aggressive and scariest were the Silver Leaf monkeys in Borneo. They charged at us, growling and baring their large teeth. Even the gentle Proboscis monkeys were afraid of them. In all of these places it’s best to not carry a bag that looks like it has food and the bring a stick to ward them off.
Monkey, Phet BuriLooking for an opportunity, Phetchaburi, ThailandFending off monkeys, Phra Nakhon KhiriTaking over a temple, Lopburi, ThailandCrab-eating macaques on the streets of Lopburi, ThailandRhesus Monkey, ShimlaGrey Langur with bad teeth, AnuradhapuraSilver Leaf monkey waiting to pounce, Bako National Park, BorneoSilver Leaf monkey, Bako National Park, Borneo
While others were very gentle.
Grey Langurs are gentle monkeys with fine grey fur and black faces. They always seemed so even-tempered. The muppet-like proboscis monkeys were also very passive. Both would come quite close to us, but weren’t aggressive or afraid.
Grey Langur Monkey, ShimlaGrey Langur, BhubaneswarGrey Langurs, Monsoon Palace, UdaipurGrey Langur Monkey, ShimlaGrey Langur Monkeys, Yala National ParkGrey Langur monkey, OrchhaLabuk Bay Proboscis Monkey SanctuaryLabuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
What a wonderful collection of photos!! I agree that sometimes they seem to pose for a shot but they can change as quick as a flash. I recall when many local councils in India stopped funding their official monkey ‘catchers’ and the urban population quickly soared. You then had to call in the guy who caught monkeys with another monkey and a stick.
Yes we heard that in Shimla they did a cull, and in Delhi they used Grey Langurs to control the aggressive macaques. They can be a huge problem, but when they’re not, we love them! 😊
Grew up with monkeys all around us in Chennai. They were a menace. They would get into the house and steal food, and destroy stuff while trying to get away. We had to put a mesh on the windows to try to keep them out. I would throw stones at them to try to scare them way, but some of them could be really aggressive in their response.
We saw a documentary about this before we went on our trip. We thought it would be fun to see, but the reality is they are a real menace! We still love the ones in the wild and the passive ones though 😊
That is a serious lot of monkeys. The descriptions given make them sound a lot like human characteristics. I wonder if monkeys could write a blog, would they do one on their favourite humans. One thing we learned on our hike down the small mountain in Mino Park in Osaka was not to look them in the eye. These ones were very aggressive and would charge you and grab you by the arm. Thanks for sharing. Allan
You really could see human characteristics in many of them. Most we found were fun and playful but there definitely an aggressive bunch too. I think those are the ones that have gotten too close to people and junk food.
What an incredible collection of photos and a fantastic post! My most vivid recollection is being charged by one on Monkey Temple in Kathmandu, but my favourite is the little monkey in Boracay, Philippines that was trained to run up to you and steal your wallet. It was hiding in a little forest that we had to walk through to get to the restaurant where we would have our dinner, and we would walk that stretch holding our pockets very tightly. The monkey is probably dead by now but I wonder if it has any trained offsprings.
Oh those cheeky/trained monkeys! We saw an Orangutan in Boreno that stole a camera and actually took it apart properly, as if he knew what he was doing, before dropping it down on the ground to break. Thanks for reading!
I don’t recall before seeing a Grey Langur – cute little boogers. The monkeys in the water … Aww! Did that poor sweety just get whacked in the face or is it about to be back-handed?! : )
Grey Langurs are really pretty. The two in the water were so funny. That shot is after hitting the other across the face! Looked like two guys in a bar fight!
Great photos. How wonderful to experience them in all those settings, although the aggressive ones sound intimidating!
I was at a zoo one time, holding a 4 year old and the Gorilla there, took a big pile of crap and flung it at the little boy I was holding. He was quite traumatized by it. It is interesting to read how the different breeds and locations led to different behaviors.
Thanks, it was really interesting to see how different some of the different breeds act, from very aggressive to very gentle. Some learn it by being close to human food, but others remain docile. Wonder what was going on in that Gorilla’s mind?
Oh those monkeys! Love that you have such a great collection of different ones. Wonder if you’re cheeky like they are hahaha. I just remember the ones in Bali and how they have no fear…maybe that’s like you as well 🙂
This is such a fun post. I love monkeys too. I’m glad to see all the Sri Lankan monkeys. I may have told you that the grey langurs in Polonnaruwa kept me more entertained than the ruins (such a hot day). I hope I get to see a proboscis monkey…for now I’ll have to be content with the racoon antics on our porch.
Really…no racoons! Borneo is on the top of the list (with India). Despite continued fun mini trips in B.C., I’m starting to get antsy for international travel.
No the first raccoon I saw was in Whistler! I can definitely give you ideas on Borneo. We loved it! We’re getting antsy to get travelling too, but will probably spend the winter skiing here, which I guess isn’t so bad since this is a vacation spot for many.
I must admit I’m not too fond of macaques, except the toque macaques in Sri Lanka. The first time I saw them I thought someone gave them a hairdo. 😀 Those in Bali, especially at touristy sites, can be quite aggressive. But the only time I felt threatened by a monkey is from a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani on the island of Lombok, Indonesia. One male macaque showed his teeth to us and some other climbers who were taking our lunch break.
Yes, plenty of macaques at tourist sites are aggressive and it’s too bad that they’ve learned to like our sweet/salty/fatty foods. But since we don’t have monkeys, we love to see them, even if they’re a little cheeky! Those toque macaques are some of the funniest with their hair. You’re right, it looks like a bad hairdresser got to them!
Excellent shots of monkeys! I’m not sure if you have seen the Nat Geo documentary on monkeys which was shot here in Jaipur. We have both Rhesus Macaque and the Balck face Langoor in Jaipur.
We didn’t see any monkeys in Jaipur! Before our trip we saw a documentary about monkeys terrorizing a city in India, but we couldn’t remember which city. After our trip, we thought it may have been Shimla as we read they used to be even worse than they are now. I’ll have to look for the doc about Jaipur.
Jaipur has been covered extensively in that nat geo documentary. It’s possible that other cities from Rajasthan are also covered. Shimla is bad when it comes to monkey menace.
Fantastic photos, guys! I love monkeys too but never encountered with them yet. Valters had a chance to see them in Gibraltar and they were fairly peaceful. Monkeys only attack people if they feel threatened in their natural environment. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊 Aiva
The problem with the aggressive monkeys in Asia is that they’ve gotten used to human food and know the source of the food. They don’t live in the jungles since the cities have taken them over. It’s sad as it is for many animals all over the world. But we still love monkeys, even the mean ones! Maggie
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