A monkey who took a selfie!!
The Wikimedia Foundation's decision in 2014 not to remove images from its Wikimedia Commons library was based on the belief that copyright belongs to the creator, and as a non-human entity, the macaque cannot hold copyright leading to the images being considered public domain. In August 2014, it was noted that the exposure of the images on Wikipedia had caused a financial loss of at least £10,000 to photographer Slater and negatively impacted his wildlife photography business. Legal experts in the US and UK have suggested that Slater's involvement in the image creation process might enable him to claim copyright, subject to court interpretation. In 2015, PETA filed a lawsuit against Slater and Blurb, seeking to have the copyright assigned to the macaque for the benefit of the endangered species.
British nature photographer David Slater has been documenting the critically endangered Celebes crested macaques in Indonesia since 2008. In July 2011, publications like The Telegraph and The Guardian shared Slater's pictures along with articles stating that the monkeys had supposedly taken self-portraits by triggering the camera on a tripod. Slater elaborated on his experiences, detailing how he and a guide spent three days with the monkeys, earning their trust on the second day. He explained that the monkeys displayed curiosity towards the camera and equipment, often playing with them and attempting to run off with the camera during his attempts to photograph them. Slater's interactions with these macaques drew attention from the media, with headlines highlighting the monkeys' apparent photographic skills and antics.
