Monkey see, monkey do: ‘Impatient’ primate hitches a ride across Sarawak river

The two fishermen in Sarawak manoeuvred their boat closer to the proboscis monkey, which climbed on board. PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM DATUKHENSEM/X

When two fishermen in Sarawak saw the monkey swimming in a bid to cross the river, they did not monkey around and quickly went to its aid.

The Borneo Post reported that they manoeuvred their boat closer to the proboscis monkey, which climbed on board.

In a short video posted on social media platform X – formerly known as Twitter – by a netizen with the handle datukhensem, the animal can be seen sitting on the edge of the blue boat, seemingly enjoying the ride.

“A proboscis monkey in Sarawak boarded a fishing boat to return to its home. This monkey is very impatient. It jumped off the boat even before reaching the shore,” read the video caption.

“Relax, not yet reached,” one of the men is heard saying in the video, with help extended to the monkey for it to get back on board.

In a follow-up video, datukhensem said the primate has “safely reached its destination”. “Give me five,” one of the men on the boat jokingly said, as it waded across the shallow water closer to shore and scampered into the bushes.

Both videos have garnered more than 1.5 million views to date, with many people posting hilarious responses.

“Bro is commuting,” said someone with the handle Tirta, while netizen Saifulnizam Hamdan said the monkey’s posture on the boat is “like a boss”.

“Bad enough he was impatient, he didn’t even say thank you,” noted a netizen with the handle PU Nabil.

Proboscis monkeys are found along rivers and in the mangrove forests of Borneo. Their name comes from the male’s long and pendulous nose.

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