Four pygmy marmosets - the smallest primates in the world - are the latest casualties in the growing war of words between Sweden and Saudi Arabia.
The monkeys were to be transferred from Skansen zoo in Stockholm to a Riyadh zoo.
"They didn't want the monkeys anymore because of the political situation," Skansen zoo boss Jonas Wahlstrom said, according to the BBC . "It's a little comical. I'll just have to wait until they grant visas to Swedish businessmen again. Maybe monkeys will get visas then too.”
Sweden has moved to calm the tense situation with Saudi Arabia, which was sparked after a defense deal between the two countries was canceled and Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström called the Gulf state a dictatorship .
Saudi Arabia briefly withdrew its ambassador from Stockholm and stopped issuing visas for Swedish businessmen last month.
While the Swedish Foreign Office said last week that the diplomatic crisis was a “ thing of the past," the rejection of the monkeys might be an indication that Saudi Arabia hasn’t moved on quite yet - something that is giving commentators on social media quite the fodder for jokes.