Tourists distracted a monkey with food to retrieve a woman's stolen phone in Bali.

The holidaymakers went to watch the sunset at a viewing deck on a hill when a wild primate snatched an electronic device in Indonesia on July 18.

Footage shows the visitors each pitching in their food, such as bananas, nuts, and crackers, to offer to the animal sitting on a ledge. Their snacks were taken by the swift-handed monkey, but it did not let go of the phone easily.

The phone's owner opened her bag to reveal more bags of food, while foreigners gave it some fruit.

However, as they kept giving it food, the clever primate had both hands full and gave the phone away.

Tourist Nyoman Asriawan said: 'We did not want to scare it away. It might leave with the stolen phone or attack us.'

The visitors cheered and clapped when the woman finally had her phone back.

Bali is well-known for its abundant monkey population, particularly species like the long-tailed macaque. It has tropical forests, volcanic mountains, and rich water sources providing an ideal habitat for the primates.