The Monkeys Might Be Closer to Us than I Thought

from Elliott
Well, I have to admit I have always been a bit offended when people suggested we were closely related to monkeys. I may have to change my tune....

Word seems to have gotten out among the town monkeys. What before had been an infrequent occurrence of a monkey sneaking into our flat has become more frequent and more brazen. At first it was an older one who stole (or as they say here, pinched) bananas and a younger one that stole a piece of hard candy.

The other day we were attacked three times in just two days. The first one was older and he made off with a half a loaf of bread in a plastic bag. I saw him on the road gently opening the bag and taking out one piece and closing the bag. Then the next day, after the bread had been replaced by a trip to the market, a young came to the door but I stopped it and he ran off or so I thought. As soon as I turned my back he returned and to the kitchen counter he went - looked at the new loaf of bread and then turned the other way and grabbed two pieces of hard candy from the bowl and jumped over the door to the tree where he sat on a branch and unwrapped each piece of candy and put both in his mouth!

Maybe they are a lot like humans - the older, maybe wiser, monkey chose bananas and bread while the young one (impatient and undisciplined) when confronted with a choice choose the candy and even to the point of stuffing both pieces in his mouth at once! How humbling to witness!