A British tourist had his phone stolen by a monkey at a popular Bali temple, with the animal subsequently recording videos and taking selfies before the device was recovered. Oliver Lloyd, 19, from Telford, Shropshire, was visiting the Uluwatu Temple in Bali, Indonesia, on June 15 when a long-tailed macaque grabbed his phone directly from his hand.
The monkey then disappeared into the surrounding forest, prompting Lloyd and his girlfriend to search for the device with the assistance of temple guards. After more than an hour, the couple utilized a tracking app on Lloyd's girlfriend's phone to locate the stolen device. A temple guard then found the monkey and retrieved the phone.
Upon checking the phone, Lloyd discovered that the macaque had recorded extensive video footage and taken several close-up selfies. Lloyd described the incident, stating he was taking photos of the monkeys when the primate snatched his phone. "It disappeared into the forest and there were monkeys everywhere," he recounted.
Lloyd's girlfriend had jokingly suggested the monkeys might have taken selfies, a prediction that proved true. "I looked on the camera, and it had recorded a whole video and taken selfies," Lloyd said.
