Animals - Aquariums - Archeology - Insects - Fossils - Zoos
Feb. 28 Madame Monkey Works For Her Living In Sumatra: As A Coconut Collector She Earns A Human Worker's Wage: Sumatra is an Island full of monkeys of all shapes, colours and sizes. The natives have long taken advantage of this and train female captive monkeys to do a useful day's work for their keep. Best (the only in fact) job a monkey can do is to use his skill in climbing trees to pick the coconuts his are sold for their copra. Females only can be tried for this work as the male of the species is too fierce. Any morning early one sees in Sumatran towns such as padang or Bukit Tinggi, a native walking along with his monkey on a leash. He solicits custom from a house holder and a bargain is struck for the use of his monkey to fetch the coconuts donw for the owner to sell. The monkey has to be traiuned for the work when young and will live and work for many years. Usual fee is one Rupiah (one-tenth of a workmen's daily wage) for a tree.Thus the monkey can form a ormal wage for her master
