AS many as 2,500 troublesome macaque monkeys will be locked up and transferred to a larger enclosure after authorities received complaints from residents of their increasing bad behavior.
For decades, the macaques that roam in Lopburi became a symbol of the city’s local culture which is known for its historic sites and beautiful nature.
However, the growing aggression among alpha males has been a cause of concern, and a special unit was deployed to deal with them.
The animals revered as a symbol of culture have been terrorizing residents by jumping between buildings, disturbing shops, making nests in temples, and snatching foods from humans which sometimes resulted in scratches and injuries.
A woman who dislocated her knee last month after a monkey pulled her feet to snatch food, and a man who was knocked off a motorcycle by a hungry monkey caused outrage and renewed concerns among residents.
Authorities thought it best to “arrest” the troublesome monkeys and lock them up in a bigger enclosure to lessen cases of humans and monkeys hurting each other.
Authorities are looking for new ways to control the animals after years of dangerous encounters with residents and visitors as well as several failed attempts to reduce their population have failed.
