A thirsty chimpanzee reached through the bars of its cage for a zoo visitor's discarded drink.

The primate was spotted the plastic trash within arm's reach outside its enclosure while tourists were watching it nearby at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo in Thailand.

Footage shows the ape extending its arms to take the Coca Cola bottle from between the metal bars on November 29.

It successfully obtained the Coke but realised it was empty and left it lying on the ground. The gorilla then just picked up a french fry beside it and put it into its mouth.

Visitor Panirada Yamapewan said: 'The chimpanzee was smart. It knew that the bottle will have something to drink.

'Someone threw the bottle there. Zoogoers should be more mindful of their actions inside those places.'

Chimpanzees are highly intelligent animals. Their cognitive abilities are impressive and comparable to those of other great apes, such as chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans.

They can solve complex problems and use tools in the wild to make tasks easier, such as using sticks to measure water depth.