Photographer David J. Slater was following a group of monkeys through the jungle when he had a bright idea. What would happen if he left them alone with his camera?
Slater placed the camera on a stand, then stepped back to watch. The clever monkeys pressed buttons with their long, black fingers. They grinned, frowned, and bared their teeth as they stared into the large glass lens.
The monkeys played with the device until—snap, snap, snap! Naruto, a 6-year-old with bright-orange eyes, took some selfies.
Years later, a newspaper paid Slater to post the photos online. Then another website posted them—and another. Within hours, Naruto’s selfies had gone viral. You could even buy the image on T-shirts and postcards.
People became curious about Naruto’s species, the crested macaque [mah-KAK]. These monkeys are often killed for their meat. But even those that escape hunters are in danger. Humans have been cutting down the trees the monkeys live in to make way for farms and roads.
Soon a group of people fighting for animal rights had an idea: Naruto took the photos. Doesn’t that mean Naruto owns them—and the right to sell them?
The group decided to take Slater to court. The selfies made money. They wanted that money to be used to defend Naruto’s species.
In September, the group made a deal with Slater. He will donate 25 percent of the money from Naruto’s selfies. That money will be used to protect crested macaques.
Naruto didn’t know what would happen when he snapped his silly selfies. But he’s lucky he made macaques famous. The attention might just save their lives.