The Burmese Monkey Trap

The Burmese Monkey Trap

In southern Myanmar some hill tribes still hunt monkeys for food. Monkeys are rather intelligent, and yet they are caught with a very simple trap. The hunters drill a hole in a coconut just large enough for a monkey to get a paw in. They fill the coconut with peanuts and tie it to a tree with wire. When a monkey smells the peanuts, he approaches the coconut. The monkey plays with the coconut, but the shape of the hole (a cone) makes it very difficult to get the peanuts out. So the eager monkey pushes its tiny paw in and manages to grab some of the peanuts. The monkey then tries to flee with his loot, but the coconut is tied to the tree. His paw filled with peanuts is too big to pull out of the coconut, and so he is trapped. In the morning, the hunter approaches. The monkey is terrified but cannot release itself from the trap. He cannot let go.