Don't feed the monkeys!

I set the plate of noodles and beef curry on the canteen table and look up to a mother macaque monkey and her baby who is clinging to her belly. She sits on the canteen railing and eyes me intently.

How friggin' cute!

Instinctively, out comes the camera. She drops from the railing as soon as she sees it. Then, almost coaxing, she pops her head into view like a curious Killroy.

I take one step towards her with the camera ready...

***

Then, Spidey-sense tingling, I have a quick flashback of the raptors in Jurassic Park -- one raptor ambushes the hunter while another acts as a decoy.

***

Motherf-- I whip around to see a male macaque eyeing my plate of food, two hops away from a free lunch. The element of surprise is lost so he relies on his speed. And he is fast -- one quick jump, he lands lightly and he's halfway there...

But he's no match for me! I've already moved to block his intended trajectory to my food. And he jumps off to the side instead, looks over his shoulder at me with a scowl. Or maybe I imagined the scowl. Then he's retreated off the patio, no doubt to collude with the Mama macaque on a new plan of attack.

Meanwhile, a bearded pig roots through the mud in front of the canteen, oblivious to the drama that just unfolded.