Monkey 'Gives Pal Mouth-To-Mouth' Like Human After She 'Collapses To Ground'

Wildlife photographer William Steel snapped the dramatic moment shared between two vervet monkeys in the Gaborone Game Reserve in Botswana. He said one was "seemingly administering CPR".

Steel says that grooming like this is a common practice among the vervet monkeys and is a form of bonding for them. "Bonds are formed largely through grooming. I have often seen this extended to help clean wounds, and even nurse injured troop members." Steel explains. "In my opinion, this compassion can sometimes be manipulated by attention-seeking individuals. It was an amusing moment to capture." Monkeys are very intelligent creatures and certainly possess the smarts and physical ability to do a variety of human-like acts. This, however, was no more than a theatrical cry for attention. Anthropomorphism: Did the monkey really give mouth-to-mouth? While it is cute to think about a dramatic Gray's Anatomy-style scene in which one monkey collapses and another monkey gives mouth-to-mouth to save her life, this is not the truth. This is called anthropomorphism: When people give human-like traits to non-humans, usually pets, animals or objects.