Wild monkey walks into shop and hugs owner around the neck

An adult macaque unexpectedly wandered into a shop, settled on the counter, then climbed onto the owner's lap and wrapped its arms around his neck. The incident was caught on video, according to Novinky: the owner at first didn't even notice his visitor, and when he realized what was happening, he didn't dare move.

It all began when the animal made itself comfortable on the service counter. The shop owner was looking at his phone at the time and paid no attention to the monkey. He noticed it only when a colleague pointed it out. The footage shows the man was frightened. The employee ran out into the street in a panic, while the owner stayed sitting motionless on his chair so as not to startle the animal.

Soon the macaque climbed onto his lap by itself, clasped his neck with its front paws and rested its head on his shoulder. After a few seconds it lifted itself up, looked the man in the face and again clung to his neck.

Animal behavior specialists explain that primates may approach people out of curiosity, out of trust or in search of food. Although the embrace looked tender, the exact reason for such behavior remains unclear.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz