Jealous alpha male monkey "attacks" man at zoo

By: Will Goodman
Topics: Animal Antics

(CBS) - First off, the good news is that no one is injured during the course of this video. So you can watch without having to worry about anything terrible happening. That doesn't mean you might not be startled by what occurs in the short clip, though...

Wow, right? That monkey is seriously committed to going after the guy! The video was posted by YouTube user NRucker5 who writes about it:

This is at the cafe inside the Memphis Zoo. The manager of the cafe told me that the alpha male monkey noticed me the second I walked in the door and started going crazy, because, as the alpha male, he feels threatened by tall males. So she told me to go stand by the window and turn my back on him and that he would "attack" me...

So did the end of the video catch you all a bit off-guard, too? I think it's a very, very good thing there was some thick glass between him and that monkey, and definitely want to thank NRucker5 so much for sharing the rather scary moment with us all!

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by Skruffy1 February 19, 2012 5:30 PM EST: Way to go, CBS. Contradict yourself all over the place. The headline on the home page says the monkey attacked the man. The headline on the actual story has "attacks" in quotes. But then you say it was an "attempted" attack. Accuracy in reporting?; Reply to this comment


by iocor February 18, 2012 10:28 PM EST: Just a quick note for science students or future journalists-the gibbon is not a monkey but is an ape.; Reply to this comment


by tvguymem February 18, 2012 3:27 PM EST: As any frequent visitor to the Memphis Zoo knows, this is an everyday, all day occurrence with this Gibbon. It just happened to someone who wanted to post it and get attention.; Reply to this comment


by walt9800 February 18, 2012 12:36 PM EST: Is it just me, or did I fail to see any agression from this monkey? He looked more playful than anything else. No baring of teeth, no loud chatter, no chest thumping, no "going crazy". And at the end, after having been at the window for a few seconds, he turns and calmly goes away. If you ask me, this is a learned attention-getting behavior that has nothing to do with feeling threatened.; Reply to this comment


by BC_Armstrong February 18, 2012 9:04 AM EST: Right, provoke a captive monkey to slam itself against glass so you can make a silly video and make a baby cry. Good move.

That manager shouldn't be working in a zoo.; Reply to this comment


by erpicferl February 17, 2012 9:02 PM EST: imagine being so good looking jealous male animals try to attack you at the zoo! lol; Reply to this comment