Viral video: Monkey putting on mask leaves the Internet in stitches

Monkeys are known for their ability to imitate humans. And with the COVID-19 pandemic having made masks an integral part of our lives, how could our primate friends stay behind? Even though there are people who still refuse to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, a video has emerged of a monkey effortlessly putting on a mask on its face after finding the discarded apparel lying around on a street. Onlookers can be heard laughing their heart out over the act with one person calling the animal a “legend”.

The 27-second long video, which was posted on Twitter by former professional basketball player and social media influencer Rex Chapman, also left netizens marvelling at the animal’s intelligence and prompted swipes at “anti-maskers.” The clip has been viewed 1.8 million times within a day besides drawing thousands of likes, retweets and comments. It’s not clear where and when the video was shot.

“Even the monkey knows the mask goes over your mouth AND nose,” one Twitter user commented on Chapman’s post.

“Even monkeys are smarter than anti maskers,” read another comment.

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 213 million, while deaths related to the novel infection have surged to more than 4.45 million.

The US continues to be the worst-affected country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at more than 38 million and 630,663, respectively.

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The country has also witnessed standoffs over the use of masks, including several at local school board meetings in recent weeks amid the resurgence of Delta variant. Many meetings have been disrupted or even cancelled due to anti-mask protests. In some instances, the anti-maskers have been even more aggressive. Wearing a T-shirt that read “Not Vaccinated”, a man in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, set a tray full of masks on fire. One man performed a Nazi salute, while another shouted slogans referencing Nazi leaders, after a school board approved a mask mandate for a community near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 9.