A monkey thief stole food from a travel agency office's kitchen while the workers were busy.

Footage shows the primate helping itself to fruits from a basket left on the counters inside the establishment in Satun province, Thailand on July 27.

The monkey escaped with the sweet treats and tucked into them outside on the pavement.

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.