(Lopburi) A Thai town plagued by a growing population of wild monkeys launched an offensive against simian raiders on Friday, using trickery and ripe tropical fruits.
Several high-profile cases of human-monkey conflicts have recently convinced authorities in Lopburi, central Thailand, that they need to reduce the animals’ numbers.
If all goes well, most will end up behind bars, before starting a new life elsewhere.
The first step of the plan, instituted Friday, involves baiting the cages with the animals’ favorite food, then waiting until hunger takes over their natural caution.
The catchers enjoyed early success on one street, with three of the macaques falling for the trap and becoming trapped because they fancied a taste of the rambutan fruit. The cages had been placed in the street earlier in the week so that the monkeys would get used to them and find them less threatening.
It is estimated that around 2,500 monkeys roam the city. The capture of the unlucky trio and around thirty other individuals – trapped in other parts of the city – reduced this total slightly.
The efforts will continue for five days this month and then are likely to be repeated. Some monkeys will be left free to maintain Lopburi’s image as Thailand’s Monkey City.
But no one expects it to be easy.
“With the monkey’s intelligence, if some of them enter the cage and are caught, the others outside will not enter the cage to get food, because they have already learned what happened to their friends,” said Patarapol Maneeorn of Thailand’s Ministry of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Wandering monkeys have long been a symbol of the city, located 140 kilometers 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 being widely shared online.
An auto parts store now operates behind barbed wire. The owners erected it during the coronavirus pandemic, but keeping primates out was also a major concern. They say they have adapted to the monkey problem, but not everyone has.
“When there are a lot of monkeys around, customers are afraid to buy products at the store. Only our regulars are not afraid,” said Supaporn Tantiwong.
The city’s mayor, Chamroen Salacheep, acknowledges that the monkeys, while attracting visitors, have also become bad for commerce, with stores and shopping centers experiencing a decline in revenue. Houses are even damaged. Lopburi, he says, is almost an “abandoned town”.
“Once our operation is finished,” said Mr. Chamroen, “I will do a big cleanup throughout the city and I will paint all the buildings to regain people’s faith. »
These times may seem bleak for the monkeys of Lopburi, but there is a plan to give them a fresh start.
On Friday, authorities began putting them to sleep to conduct health checks before cleaning, sterilizing and tattooing them so they could be identified for the purpose of keeping accurate records.
After that, they will transfer them to a series of huge enclosures just outside the city center while looking for a permanent home for them.