Climbing through an upstairs window carelessly left open by a South African homeowner, a group of thieves can’t believe their luck as they race around the house ransacking cupboards.
But far from your average burglar, this gang of crooks aren’t human – they’re baboons on the hunt for food
An astonishing video of the animals wrecking a South African home has been posted on YouTube.
Burglars: The primates are filmed breaking into a South African house and ransacking it for food
Infestation: A whole troop of baboons are seen hoping from the roof of an annexe of the house through the window and into the main building
Ransacked: Smashed plates and debris can be seen all over the kitchen floor as the primates run amok in the house
The video was captured by neighbour Howard James Fyvie and his friends who watched as the primates climbed through an upstairs window.
The group watched through a downstairs window and witnessed the baboons ransacking cupboards and running amok looking for food.
After a few moments, James and his friends fetch a ladder and go into the house to chase off the creatures before they cause anymore damage.
They are seen chasing the animals around the house with a broom and yelling at the baboons to leave.
Most of them run away terrified as soon as they spot the group, but one final stubborn baboon remains in an upstairs bathroom trying to open a cabinet.
The cameraman yells ‘Get Out of here, here’s the door’, while brandishing the broom, but soon bids a hasty retreat when the angry animal barks at him.
Hungry: The cameraman says that he thinks the primates are feasting on some chicken found in the kitchen
Smash and grab: One of the cheeky raiders is pictured climbing inside one of the kitchen cupboards
Eventually, the final primate is chased away and seen escaping over the garden wall.
The footage was shot in the small tourist town of Betty’s Bay on the Western cape of South Africa.
Baboon break ins are becoming increasingly common across South Africa and have been attributed to the animals losing their natural habitat through erosion or urban sprawl.
The creatures are often forced to break into cars or homes in a bid to try and steal food.
Some parts of South Africa have even been forced to hire ‘Baboon Monitors’ to chase the animals away from urban areas.
Baboons that are known to persistently steal from humans have been put down in the past despite the species being protected in the country.
Visitors are strongly discouraged from feeding the animals, because baboons associate humans, homes and cars with food, but it does not prevent tourists indulging them.
Getaway: The animals jumped out of the building the same way they got in when confronted by the neighbours
Read more: Daily Mail UK
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