A Thai city battling an out-of-control monkey population that has knocked motorcyclists off bikes and dragged tourists to the ground has unveiled a plan for peace.
After at least a decade of human-monkey conflict, Thai wildlife officials have announced a plan to rein in the macaque population in Lopburi.
The macaques that roam the city are a cultural symbol and a major tourist draw but recent encounters between the animals and visitors have sparked calls for change from locals.
The monkeys frequently try to snatch food from humans, sometimes resulting in tussles that can leave people with scratches and other injuries.
In March, local outrage grew when a woman dislocated her knee after a monkey pulled her off her feet to grab food, and another man was knocked off a motorcycle by a hungry monkey.
Plan to enclose 2,500 monkeys
The director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Athapol Charoenshunsa, said that authorities hope to round up some 2,500 urban monkeys and place them in massive enclosures.
He said efforts will also be focused on allowing a limited number of monkeys to stay at liberty in the city.
"I don't want humans to have to hurt monkeys, and I don't want monkeys to have to hurt humans," he told reporters during a news conference in Bangkok.
An official monkey-catching campaign launched last week, prioritising more aggressive alpha males, has nabbed 37 monkeys so far.
Most of those caught have been placed under the care of wildlife authorities in the neighbouring province of Saraburi, while others were sent to the Lopburi Zoo.
Officials said they plan to capture the rest of the monkeys once the enclosures are complete, especially those in the residential areas. Separate cages will be prepared for different troops of monkeys to prevent them from fighting.
Mr Charoenshunsa said he expects the first phase of the operation to start within weeks, and believes the huge cages will be able to contain thousands of them and "will solve the problem very quickly".
He said work is also underway in other areas of Thailand that are also facing problems with monkeys, such as Prajuab Kiri Khan and Phetchaburi. He said 52 of the country's 77 provinces report frequent problems from monkeys.
The monkeys are a symbol of the province, about 140 kilometres north of Bangkok, where the ancient Three Pagodas temple celebrates an annual "Monkey Buffet" festival, and they're commonly seen throughout the city.
Macaques are classified as a protected species under Thailand's wildlife conservation law.
Local officials began threatening fines for feeding monkeys outside a few designated areas around the main tourist attractions in recent years.
Previous control measures have fallen short. From 2014 to 2023, the wildlife authorities neutered about 2,600 Lopburi monkeys.
AP/ABC
