William Parcher
Show me the monkey!
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Monkeys are kidnapping babies of another species on a Panamanian island, perplexing scientists.
New finding: Monkeys kidnapping babies of another species
- Thread starter William Parcher
- Start date
Puppycow
Penultimate Amazing
Humans do the same thing, don't we? We call them "pets".
The main difference here, unfortunately for the kidnapped infants, is that they don't know how to feed these babies, so they eventually die.
Could be the same motive: "oh look, it's so cute. I want it!" But they are like a child who wants a pet but isn't actually capable or responsible enough to actually care for the pet. I don't think it's malice, but it harms the victim anyway.
The main difference here, unfortunately for the kidnapped infants, is that they don't know how to feed these babies, so they eventually die.
Could be the same motive: "oh look, it's so cute. I want it!" But they are like a child who wants a pet but isn't actually capable or responsible enough to actually care for the pet. I don't think it's malice, but it harms the victim anyway.
But these capuchins do not care about their pet. The researchers think they are indifferent towards the baby that they lug around,
Puppycow
Penultimate Amazing
It's hard to mind-read a monkey, but if they were "indifferent" then why go to the trouble of kidnapping one and lugging it around in the first place? It's not as fully developed as our attachment to our pets, but I think it might be the first stage. Like a child who captures a butterfly and puts it in a jar, but then becomes distracted by other things and forgets to care for it (or doesn't know how).
That is exactly what is puzzling the scientists. A number of suggestions are given in the article. Among them are boredom.
bruto
Penultimate Amazing
I missed this thread earlier. We ran into this in India earlier this year. Not terribly common, but occasionally seen, vervet monkeys are known to kindap macaque babies. Apparently later they let them go, and they rejoin their troops. They apparently just really like having babies to care for, so when they don't get their own, they steal them. Perhaps more like dolls than pets. I gather macaques also kidnap each others' babies. Apparently monkeys find macaque babies really cute.
p0lka
Illuminator
I'm imagining homo habilis with a puppywolf and not knowing what to do with it.
I read the article to say that these monkeys do not care for the macaque babies. They just carry them.
William Parcher
Show me the monkey!
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Vervet monkeys are from Africa. The two in your photo are langur monkeys from India.
bruto
Penultimate Amazing
Yes, brain cramp and langur was what I meant! I knew what sort of monkeys they were when I took the picture in India. If you see my brain wandering around somewhere tell it to go home.
EHocking
Philosopher
