Macaque monkeys climb onto a news photographer at the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok on 28 November 2021. Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP
A city in Thailand has been caught between rival gangs of monkeys that have terrorised, mugged and assaulted locals, even driving some from their homes and businesses.
Lopburi is famous for its long-tailed macaques and even hosts an annual banquet for the animals but in recent years the population has exploded and has started causing trouble.
Tensions boiled over earlier this year when a woman dislocated her knee after she was kicked in the back by a monkey that wanted her food.
In April, after growing complaints from residents, authorities started rounding up thousands of the monkeys and putting them in large enclosures to be sterilised and registered while they try to find a more permanent solution.
But soon after the "arrests" had begun, about 30 monkeys escaped and stormed the police station.
Police Lance Corporal Arnu Amarit said with the growing number of monkeys, there's not been enough food for them all.
"When monkeys are hungry, they snatch food from people walking around," he said.
"They are getting fiercer and more aggressive, especially the ringleaders … they attack vehicles or push people."
The situation is so serious police have set up a task force, which the media has dubbed the "Anti-Monkey Unit".
"Our unit is a prevention and suppression patrol unit," Lance Corporal Amarit said.
"We take care of both criminal cases and monkey cases. We do both our main job and monkey business."
Police patrol the city armed with slingshots, but Lance Corporal Amarit said they don't use ammunition.
"We use slingshots but there is nothing on it, we just stretch it out to threaten them," he said.
"But after a while, the monkeys adjust to it and learn that we do not use real weapons - there are no real bullets."
Macaque monkeys gather outside the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok on 28 November 2021. Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP
Primates and pupils clash
Even the local Pibulwitthayalai School hasn't been safe from the marauding macaques.
Student Panitchada Nualpoj was mugged recently by one on school grounds.
"A monkey stole my AirPod and bit it," she said.
"It was an expensive device and I don't have enough money to buy a new one so I was so upset, I was very sad."
Fellow student Kodchaporn Runghuapai said the animals were out of control.
"They don't just steal, sometimes they attack students and if they steal, it's not just food, but like key chains or my classmate's iPad and her Apple pencil, which are so expensive," she said.
She said the monkeys have also taken to swimming in the school's pool.
"They swim in there, they pee in there, they poop in there, anything that's so gross is all in there so it's not for humans any more, it's not for students, it's for them."
School director Thammawit Tampitee said the school issued warnings to the students at the beginning of each term.
"Don't stare in monkeys' eyes. Don't feed the monkeys. Don't walk alone, walk in a group," he said.
"The worst incident is getting bitten. Some monkeys jump on the students' shoulders and pull their hair."
He said it's clear the population has grown too high, and more money was needed to fix the problem.
Macaque monkeys drink from juice cartons beside monkey statues outside the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple. Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP
"People who like monkeys will say there are about 3000 monkeys [in Lopburi]. People who don't like monkeys will say there are about 5000 monkeys. I take the average so I think there are about 4,000 monkeys," he said.
"When the population is too big, it is difficult to live together but if there is a bigger budget for sterilisation, we can reduce the monkey population without hurting them. Then we all can live together in harmony."
More monkey mass arrests planned
Authorities have already captured more than 1200 monkeys but more "arrests" have been planned.
Lopburi Mayor Chamroen Salacheep said once the different gangs have been separated and animals put in enclosures where they're regularly fed, they're no longer aggressive towards humans.
"We are building more cages, there is more budget coming," he said.
"The prime minister will give us 27 million Baht (NZ$1.2million) to build big cages, which have capacity for around 3000 monkeys. That should end this problem in Lopburi."
But with no other province willing to take the animals, the mayor said it's a lot of hungry mouths to feed.
"My concern is we can provide food for 1200 monkeys now and people are still donating food to support us but If we can capture another 3000 after the cages are finished, altogether there will be 4000 monkeys, how we will get budget for that?
A man walks past monkeys in front of the Prang Sam Yod temple during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok on 29 November, 2020. Photo: JACK TAYLOR / AFP
"The budget for 4,000 monkeys would be more than 20 million Baht (NZ$950,000) for food costs, not including medicine."
He wants the Department of National Parks to do more to support the monkeys in the long term, but in the meantime the nursery will continue to look after them.
He said authorities would also continue to fine and arrest tourists who had violated warnings not to feed sugary treats to the remaining monkeys in town.
Salacheep expects it will take a year or two to solve Lopburi's monkey problem but he's adamant he won't get rid of the city's iconic macaques altogether.
"The symbol of Lopburi must stay on. Lopburi must have monkeys. There's no other way," he said.
"We must leave some of them to make the balance so that humans and monkeys are able to live together.
"Tourists will still be able to see Lopburi's monkeys. I won't capture them all."
- ABC
