A cheeky monkey went ape after being snapped taking his morning bath and stuck his MIDDLE FINGER up at a passing photographer.
The Japanese macaque used the simple hand gesture to make it very clear it wasn’t the time for monkey-ing around.
Looking straight into the lens of the camera, he raised his left arm before flipping the bird at waiting Jari Peltomäki.
Professional wildlife photographer Jari, 51, said: “When I saw what he was doing, I quickly took burst of images to capture the moment.
“At first I thought he was just playing around, but then he looked straight at me and showed me his middle finger. He looked so serious.
“It was over in split second and there were several other photographers at the same time – but I haven´t seen anybody else having the similar image.
“I was so happy that I was lucky and fast enough because I haven’t seen an image like it.”
Jari, from Liminka, Finland, had been visiting the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park in Japan, when he spotted the Japanese macaque taking a dip.
Intrigued to see the animal so close up, he stopped to take its picture, but never expected the response he’s had since.
“People always say to me, ‘You got the shot’, when they see the picture,” said Jari. “I’ve had so many positive comments.
“It’s quite rare to capture such a humorous image in nature which would make people truly smile.
“There are many photographers visiting this site every year and I still haven´t seen similar image taken, despite there being so many good images taken of these macaques.”
