“It Was So Weird” – These Monkeys Have Started a Bizarre Kidnapping Fad

“It Was So Weird” – These Monkeys Have Started a Bizarre Kidnapping Fad

Cameras on a remote island captured how a novel social tradition originated and spread. Off the coast of Panama, on a remote island called Jicarón, lives a fascinating group of wild monkeys with an incredible culture. These white-faced capuchins, found in Coiba National Park, are known for using stone tools to crack open hard foods [...]

On the island of Jicaron, off Panama, a strange animal behavior intrigues scientists: young white-faced capuchin monkeys engage in repeated abductions of screaming baby monkeys, for no apparent reason. A disturbing habit, which does not meet any need for survival, but which would resemble a form of... social tradition. A troubling and unusual discovery The phenomenon was detected in 2022 by Zoë Goldsborough, a doctoral student in primatology, wh…