Lopburi, Thailand: A Thai town, overwhelmed by an ever-growing population of marauding wild monkeys, initiated an offensive against these simian raiders on Friday using monkey business and ripe tropical fruit.
Numerous high-profile cases of monkey-human conflict lately convinced authorities in Lopburi, central Thailand, that reducing the number of monkeys was necessary. If everything goes as planned, most of these animals will be relocated and start a new life elsewhere.
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The first stage of the plan, initiated on Friday, involves baiting cages with the monkeys’ favorite food and waiting for hunger to override their natural caution.
Early success for catchers was seen on one street, with three macaques trapped after falling for the rambutan fruit bait. Cages had been strategically placed on the street earlier in the week to familiarize the monkeys with them, making them less threatening.
With an estimated 2,500 monkeys roaming the town, the capture of the trio and around 30 others marked a small reduction in their numbers.
This effort will continue for five days this month and is likely to be repeated periodically. While some monkeys will remain free to uphold Lopburi’s image as Thailand’s monkey town, authorities do not anticipate an easy task.
Patarapol Maneeorn from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said, “With the monkey’s intelligence, if some of them go into the cage and are caught, the others outside won’t enter the cage to get the food because they’ve already learnt what’s happened to their friends.”
The monkeys have long been a symbol of the town, located 140 kilometers (90 miles) north of Bangkok, and are a major tourist attraction. However, they have become increasingly aggressive, with several videos of them snatching food from residents and causing injuries widely shared online.
One auto parts shop operates behind wire, originally started during the coronavirus pandemic, but keeping out the light-fingered primates was also a concern. The owners have adapted to the monkey problem, but not everyone has managed to cope.
“When there are a lot of monkeys around, customers are afraid of buying the goods at the shop. Only our regulars aren’t frightened,” said Supaporn Tantiwong.
Chamroen Salacheep, the town’s mayor, acknowledges that while the monkeys attract visitors, they also harm trade, leading to decreased income for shops and malls and damage to homes. Lopburi, he stated, is almost an “abandoned town.”
“After our operation is over,” Chamroen said, “I will do a big cleaning across the town and paint all the buildings to regain the faith of the people.”
Despite the challenges, there is a plan to offer the monkeys a fresh start.
On Friday, authorities began sedating the monkeys for health checks, cleaning, sterilizing, and tattooing them for identification and record-keeping.
The monkeys will then be transferred to multiple large holding pens just outside the town center, while a permanent home is sought for them.
Thai monkeys
