It’s a WhatsApe video call! Monkey records hilarious 45-minute selfie footage after stealing tourist’s phone

This is the hilarious moment a cheeky monkey took a tourist’s phone and started taking a selfie video of his journey through the Indonesian jungle.

Ashley Hoak, 26, was filming some local monkeys in Uluwatu, Bali, when someone managed to snatch her phone from her hand.

After desperate attempts to swap it back with peanuts, Ashley and her friend Sabrina Weibel, 27, chased the primate through the woods for 45 minutes using a tracker before finding the phone abandoned on the ground – with a surprise.

During that time, the curious monkey had documented his sprint through the forest, pausing occasionally to poke and explore the camera with his fingers, or look at himself on the screen.

The tourists, who went home with a unique memento of their holiday, said they couldn’t stop laughing at the images after getting over the initial shock of the robbery.

For almost an hour, the primate filmed its journey through the forest and watched itself

Ashley Hoak sits on a wall as the cheeky monkey looks at her phone, in Bali, Indonesia

The deviant monkey maintains eye contact with Ashley as he approaches her phone

Sabrina said she was ‘nervous that he would hurt us’… but ‘also thought it was hilarious’

The monkey is not interested in parcels of food and clings to the phone before darting away

Footage taken just before the theft showed the monkey gradually approaching and baring its teeth before taking Ashley’s phone.

Sabrina, from the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, US, said: ‘When the monkey stole Ashley’s phone at that moment, I was nervous he would hurt us, but I also thought it was hilarious.

“So I immediately started documenting because my camera was already out.”

Ashley, pictured in a white top, is seen leaning on a wall as the monkey approaches, before the camera cuts to the monkey walking through a courtyard with an iPhone.

“I assumed the monkey would be nice if I was nice to him and sent him good energy, but he kept showing his teeth!” said Ashley

“I’ve never seen this before,” Sabrina added.

‘When we came in, the staff told us to watch our belongings, but were shocked when the monkey stole things from our hands.’

The tourists try to bargain with the monkey and throw food in his direction in an attempt to get him to drop the phone.

Apparently the monkey recognizes its value to the tourists and continues undeterred, venturing into the forest.

There the group is joined by a group of similar monkeys before our cunning primate darts into a tree.

Sabrina and Ashley walk deeper into the forest and track the monkey using Apple’s ‘find my iPhone’ feature.

They eventually traced it to a clearing and found the phone abandoned on the ground, their monkey friend apparently having had enough of his brief stint as a vlogger.

After finding the footage, Sabrina said she and Ashley really saw the funny side.

‘Most people found the video and photos hilarious. Other people were angry that we were near monkeys!

“All I have to add is that I love monkeys!”

Ashley added, “I was so surprised because he grabbed it out of my hand so quickly!

The tourists followed the monkey into the forest using the ‘find my iPhone’ feature

The monkey spent 45 minutes with the camera, mostly interested in himself

The monkey takes a short break with his new possession before venturing further

The thief took up his monkey business on the phone for 45 minutes before dropping it

Ashley (pictured) and Sabrina followed the monkey through the forest and saw the funny side

They eventually found the phone abandoned in a clearing near the sea

Sabrina (left) and Ashley (right) were able to see the funny side of their accident

Bali has a large monkey population that attracts thousands of tourists every year.

While locals warn that the monkeys can be dangerous or mischievous, the region is benefiting from the arrivals and continuing to meet demand.

Two British tourists recently shared their experiences in Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest, posing for an apparent selfie with a monkey in the forest.

The forest is a natural sanctuary in Padangtegal village, Ubud, which covers some 12.5 hectares of land and is home to approximately 1,200 monkeys.

Since the 14th century, the forest has been considered a sacred place and is still home to three temples.

Today the forest lives on from its responsible tourist trade, which maintains it as an essential nature reserve.

For around £2.50 a time, tourists can pose in a staged selfie act, creating a light-hearted memory to take home.