A pair of travellers to Misahualli, Ecuador, heard about a park that is frequented by a troupe of Cahpuchin monkeys. They were told that bringing a raw onion would attract the monkeys who use onions as a natural bug repellent. But the two men got more than they were expecting!
In the video, the alpha monkey takes the large onion from the man and sits in his lap and begins to rub it on his body. One by one more monkeys join him and crowd on his lap.
The videographer shares, “The monkeys apply onion to their bodies as a natural bug repellent. The odd part is that they always take the onions to a human lap in order to apply them. Is it monkey superstition?”
We don’t know if it’s superstition but its quite hilarious that the traveller ends up with seven monkeys sitting on his lap! He does get a bit more than he bargained for (he’ll need to change his clothes), but it’s certainly an experience he’ll remember.
The onion isn’t the only tool the monkeys use to get rid of the pesky bugs. The videographer shares, “The alpha, Lightermonkey, became famous last year for stealing lighters and using them to cook bugs.” You can see the Lightermonkey in action in the video below.
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