Tiny Monkey Cowboy magic at the rodeo as primate rounds up sheep riding a border collie

Dogs can be darned tricky critters.

So when you're in the saddle hold tight, keep your hat on and above all, let him know who's boss.

This, at least, is how this tiny cowboy has stayed king of the rodeo for 18 years. That and his fabulous outfit of course.

From the moment he rides into the rodeo ring on the back of his border collie, Whiplash the capuchin monkey is the star of the show.

With the help of his trusty steed, he rounds up a flock of startled sheep. Then there's the crowd's favourite 'hi-ho silver' moment when the collie becomes a bucking bronco and Whiplash rides tall in the saddle.

Well, as tall as a 12in cowboy can.

His owner, Tommy Lucia, 67, dismisses claims from animal campaigners that Whiplash would be better off in the rainforests of Central or South America, his native habitat.

'I rescued him from a stinking cage in Florida when he was just a baby and I can assure you he'd let me know if life wasn't good,' he declared.

Mr Lucia and Whiplash are regulars at the rodeo in Big Spring, Texas.

But their fan base is rapidly growing. Like most 21-year-olds, Whiplash is on Facebook.

And after starring in a TV ad for a taco restaurant chain, he is also an Internet hit, being seen by millions on YouTube.

Mr Lucia says Whiplash keeps his collies on a short rein.

'The sheepdogs know their place and he curses them like he does me if they are not doing what he says,' he said.

'He's got such a strong will you never quite know what he's going to do - there's always a surprise. But he's a natural in the saddle.

'When he's done for the day he goes to our motor home for dinner. His favourite foods are pears, apples, bananas and especially strawberries.'

Trainer who beat his animals receives taste of his own medicine

If only he’d remembered the old expression ‘monkey see, monkey do’. . .

When this animal trainer handed out a beating to one of his performing animals, he quickly found himself on the receiving end of a revenge attack that saw him being scratched, bitten and hit with his own stick.

The man works at a market in Sizhou, China, where he has taught three monkeys to ride bicycles.

But after he thrashed one, the animals struck back.

One twisted his ear, then another sank its teeth into his head.

A third monkey snatched up the trainer’s cane and beat him over the head until the stick broke.

The man said: ‘They were once wild and these performances don’t always come naturally to them.

'They may have built up some feelings of hatred towards me.’

Police are investigating allegations of animal cruelty.

Pictured: The amazing monkey waiters that serve tables in a Japanese restaurant

A Japanese restaurant has changed the face of customer service by employing two monkeys to help with the table service. The Kayabukiya tavern, a traditional 'sake house' north of Tokyo has employed a pair of uniformed Japanese macaque called Yat-chan and Fuku-chan to serve patrons. Twelve-year-old Yat-chan is the crowd-pleaser as he moves quickly between tables taking customer drink orders. The younger of the two, Fuku-chan is quick to give the diners a hot towel to help them clean their hands before they order their drinks, as is the custom in Japan. Yat-chan and Fuku-chan, who are both certified by the local authorities to work in the tavern are well appreciate by customers, who tip them with soya beans. 'The monkeys are actually better waiters than some really bad human ones,' customer Takayoshi Soeno said. Tavern owner Kaoru Otsuka, 63, originally kept the monkeys as household pets - but when the older one started aping him he realised they were capable of working in the restaurant. 'Yat-chan first learned by just watching me working in the restaurant,' he said.

'It all started when one day I gave him a hot towel out of curiosity and he brought the towel to the customer.'

A regular of the tavern, 58-year-old Shoichi Yano, says the animals are like her children.

'Actually, [they're] better,' she said. 'My son doesn't listen to me but Yat-chan will.'

Some clients, like retiree Miho Takikkawa, say Yat-chan appears to understand their exact orders.

We called out for more beer just then and it brought us some beer," she said. "It's amazing how it seems to understand human words.' The monkeys work in shifts of up to two hours a day due to Japanese animal rights regulations. But the owner is hoping to bring up the next generation of monkey waiters, and is already training three baby monkeys to work as waiters. Watch the skilled monkey waiters at work