The article examines self-portraits taken in 2011 by Indonesian
crested black macaque monkey Naruto with wildlife photographer David
Slater’s camera. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
filed a lawsuit against Slater to request that the monkey be assigned
copyright and that PETA be appointed to administer proceeds from the
photos for the benefit of Naruto and crested macaques in the reserve on
Sulawesi. With this provocative lawsuit PETA wanted to stimulate
discussion about expanding legal rights for non-human animals. These
photographs, the discussion concerning them, and the court case shed
light on the embodied agency of a non-human animal and human-animal
relations in visual culture. In this article, I examine what it means
when an animal points a camera at himself and takes a picture. I
argue that the knowledge that the picture of the monkey is taken by the
monkey himself causes the picture to be seen in a new light and raises
questions as to the animal’s status as an object and an Other. Furthermore,
it urges a thorough re-examine of the agency, power, and embodied
consciousness associated with photography and the practices of
self-representation.