A town in Thailand, plagued by an ever-increasing population of raiding wild monkeys, began an operation against the simian pirates on May 24, utilising deception and ripe tropical fruit. The animals have become a symbol of Lopburi, a hamlet 90 miles north of Bangkok with approximately 2,500 monkeys, and are a major tourist draw.
Authorities in Lopburi, central Thailand, were recently persuaded to lower the animal’s population after several well-publicised incidents of violence between monkeys and humans. If everything goes according to plan, the majority will serve time in prison before moving on to start new lives, as per reports.
The plan’s first stage, implemented on May 24, involved baiting cages with the animals’ favourite food and waiting for hunger to overcome their natural caution. The catchers had an early success on one street, with three macaques falling for the trick and becoming trapped because they wanted a taste of rambutan fruit.
According to Sky News, the cages were placed on the street earlier in the week, so the monkeys became accustomed to them and felt them less dangerous. The capture of the unlucky trio, as well as approximately 30 more who were stranded in other parts of town, reduced the total.
The endeavour will last for five days this month and is likely to be repeated. Some of these monkeys will be released to help Lopburi preserve its reputation as Thailand’s monkey town, reports added.
“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,” Patarapol Maneeorn, Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation told Sky News.
Authorities began sedating them on Friday to do health checks before cleaning, sterilising and tattooing them so they could be identified for proper records. They will then be transferred to a series of large holding pens, outside the town centre, as they hunt for a permanent home.
As per multiple reports, these monkeys have become increasingly hostile, with videos of them stealing food from residents and injuring them becoming viral.
Chamroen Salacheep, the town’s mayor, admitted that while the monkeys attract visitors, they have also harmed trade, with stores and malls losing money and people’s homes being damaged. He described Lopburi as almost an “abandoned town.”
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