A wild monkey was seen drinking cooking oil from a bottle that it stole from the monks inside a Buddhist temple.

The primate perched on the ledge at the top of the religious building as it opened the ingredient that it took from the kitchen in Saraburi province, Thailand on January 7.

Footage shows the macaque ripping off the label and biting the cap before the liquid spilled.

However, the monkey was not happy when he tasted the greasy oil and left with the bottle that was almost empty from spilling.

Onlooker Somjintana Saengsaeng said: 'The monkey surely did not expect it to taste like that.'

Many provincial governments in Thailand have been lobbying for the removal of crab-eating macaques from the country's list of protected wildlife. The legal protections have been hampering efforts to curb the pillaging simians' ballooning numbers.

Thailand's growing population of primates has become a problem as the animals are known to damage property, such as cars and buildings. Unafraid of the consequences, they have also started stealing food from tourists and locals.

Meanwhile, the Thai government is taking steps to manage the monkey population in the country, including creating sanctuaries, mass sterilisation programs, educating the public on how to handle the animals properly, and relocating them to more suitable habitats.