Lopburi is a small city in central Thailand, but for international visitors, it has a rich history and culture and plenty of wild monkeys. Although the monkeys here once brought tourists to the local area, in recent years, the proliferation of monkeys and serious turf conflicts have caused a lot of disruption to the normal life of the locals.
Since March, there has been a protracted turf war between the "temple monkeys" and the "city monkeys" in Lopburi province, with some media claiming that there were about 3,500 monkeys in the city at its peak. In an attempt to quell the clashes, local police arrested 37 male monkeys who were the most aggressive and took the lead in causing trouble. Especially with the arrest of the gang leader of the "City Monkeys", a male monkey named Ai Krao, the fight between the monkeys gradually subsided.
Local monkeys confronted each other, obstructing traffic
Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Pacharava, said at a cabinet meeting on April 1 that plans to establish a macaque control center in Lopburi province where monkeys will be sterilized in the future.
Two factions of thousands of monkeys engaged in a "street fight"
Local residents: It feels like the monkeys are more like city masters
Due to their long-term coexistence with humans, the monkeys of Lopburi are very "human", not only can they swagger into human feasts to eat, but they also learn to take short "trips" by train. These "ghostly" monkeys were once loved by foreign tourists, but because tourists have been fed high-sugar, high-nutrient carbohydrate and carbohydrate drinks for many years, the bodies of local monkeys have been greatly "matured" and they can already give birth twice a year. And in the state of scarcity of food in nature, this macaque can give birth to a maximum of 1 time per year. Due to the decline in tourists during the pandemic, many local monkeys moved to other places, and when they returned, they clashed with the growing population of monkeys that had taken over the area.
Large-scale group fights in local monkey groups Data map
One local resident said he had never seen such a "pomp" in his decades of life. In the past, monkeys fought in groups with 5-6 monkeys on one side at most, but now thousands of monkeys are fighting fiercely in the streets and alleys of the city. Many times the monkeys not only completely jam the normal traffic, but also damage the items of the street shops.
One investor said that even if he offered a 7% discount, no merchant was willing to rent his street-facing shop, because the monkey "group fight" often affected these shops. A local resident, who has installed monkey-proof railings in her windows, said, "It feels like I'm living in a cage and the monkeys are the masters of the city."
Police "special forces" captured 37 leaders
Cover your face with a mask to avoid being recognized by the monkeys
Lopburi police revealed on March 29 that they had captured 37 monkeys, including the most vicious gang leader, Ai Krao. The monkeys are sedated and then kept in cages to calm them down.
Due to the increasing aggression of monkeys towards humans, the local police have set up a special "special force" to catch the monkeys. This special forces unit not only wears protective clothing, but also covers their faces with masks to prevent them from being recognized by monkeys. Special Forces officers are armed with slingshots to deter monkeys and wear tranquilizer guns in concealed positions. Because the local monkeys have recognized the appearance of the tranquilizer gun, they will run away as soon as they see it.
Police special forces to capture monkeys
Krutaka, the head of the local animal protection department, said officers don't actually hit monkeys with slingshots, "we don't want monkeys to hurt humans, and we don't want humans to hurt monkeys." According to the rules, only when someone's physical health is threatened, the police can attack the monkey with smaller stones, and their main way to deal with the monkey is to use a tranquilizer gun to tranquilize them and relieve the monkey's aggression.
The Thai government has proposed a plan to sterilize monkey herds
Earlier, it was reported that the local government of Lopburi province was considering moving about 2,500 monkeys to Thailand's Khao Yai National Conservation Park, or to areas of pristine forests in neighboring provinces. The rumours have sparked concern and opposition among residents in the area concerned, and the local government of Lopburi has not confirmed the plan.
Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Pacharava, said at a cabinet meeting on April 1 that it was necessary to establish a macaque control center in Lopburi province to sterilize the monkeys. The Government of Thailand will regularly monitor the implementation of sterilization to assess its effectiveness. As for the plan to relocate the macaques to other provinces, Pacharava said that they need to discuss with the local authorities how to do so and not act blindly to the detriment of the rights and interests of residents in other places.
Atabo, head of Thailand's Department of Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said there is a huge facility in Khao Yai National Conservation Park that can keep macaques in cages that don't run into the wild or into areas where there are residents.
From April 1, Lopburi province began a second round of monkey arrests. After learning their lesson, the law enforcement officers were dressed in civilian clothes instead of wearing uniforms, as the monkeys could now recognize the uniforms of the police.
Source: Red Star News K25