Thailand officials to cage urban macaques to ‘solve’ decade-old human-monkey conflict in Lopburi

Authorities in Lopburi hope to round up some 2,500 urban monkeys and place them in massive enclosures

The monkeys frequently try to snatch food from humans, sometimes resulting in tussles that can leave people with scratches and other injuries

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Macaque monkeys climb over a man as he serves them desert outside the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00am, 4 Apr 2024

Thai wildlife officials laid out a plan on Wednesday to bring peace to a central Thai city after at least a decade of human-monkey conflict.

The macaques that roam Lopburi are a symbol of local culture, and a major tourist draw. But after years of dangerous encounters with residents and visitors and several failed attempts to bring peace with population controls, local people and businesses have had enough.

The monkeys frequently try to snatch food from humans, sometimes resulting in tussles that can leave people with scratches and other injuries.

But outrage grew in March when a woman dislocated her knee after a monkey pulled her off her feet in an effort to grab food, and another man was knocked off a motorcycle by a hungry monkey.

Authorities hope to round up some 2,500 urban monkeys and place them in massive enclosures, said Athapol Charoenshunsa, the director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. They’ll work with wildlife experts to find a way for a limited number of monkeys to stay at liberty in the city, he added.

“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.

Monkeys eat fruit during a festival in Lopburi province, Thailand. Wildlife officials laid out a plan to bring peace after at least a decade of human-monkey conflict. Photo: AP

An official monkey catching campaign was launched, prioritising more aggressive alpha males. It has caught 37 monkeys so far, most of whom have been placed under the care of wildlife authorities in the neighbouring province of Saraburi, while others were sent to the Lopburi zoo.