Windows up: Baboons at UK safari park arm themselves with knives, chainsaw

Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough. Photo / Getty

Baboons at a popular British safari park have been seen stalking the facility armed with weapons, raising concerns that visitors have been arming the monkeys "for a laugh".

The Sunday Times reports that workers at Merseyside's Knowsley Safari Park have seen the primates "armed with knives, screwdrivers and even a chainsaw" and fear that visitors may be giving them tools to aid in their ability to damage vehicles.

The animals have reportedly long been willing and able to damage visitors' cars, tearing off wipers and wing mirrors, but the addition of weapons has raised the stakes.

One worker at the park told the Times: "We're not sure if they are being given weapons by some of the guests who want to see them attack cars, or if they're fishing them out of pick-up trucks and vans.

"They will literally go into people's toolboxes and carry them around. One of the baboons was seen lugging around a chainsaw."

A mechanic in nearby Sale said the frequent damage was good for business, telling the Times: "I've had two customers this year who became victims of those baboons.

"I've a mate with a garage in St Helens and it's exactly the same.

"The kids start chirping up saying they want monkeys all over the car, and the next thing you know, you're driving home with no registration plate. Good money for us, mind you, so I'm not complaining."

A spokesman for the park told the Times that the stories may have more than a hint of fantasy about them.

"We believe many of these stories have grown in exaggeration as they've been retold, with embellishment to make the objects that are sometimes found in the enclosure seem more exciting and unbelievable."