A town in Thailand, fed up with monkey attacks, locks them in bait cages

On May 24, a community in Thailand launched an operation against the simian pirates using cunning and luscious tropical fruit. The town was being harassed by an increasing number of wild monkeys that were robbing people. The creatures are a popular tourist destination and have come to represent Lopburi, a hamlet 90 miles north of Bangkok, home to around 2,500 monkeys.

The animal’s population in Lopburi, central Thailand, was recently reduced by the authorities as a result of many widely reported instances of aggression between monkeys and people. If everything goes as planned, most will serve jail sentences before starting new lives, according to sources.

The first phase of the strategy was put into action on May 24 and involves baiting cages with the animals’ preferred food while waiting for their innate caution to be overwhelmed by hunger. In one neighborhood, the catchers had an early success when three macaques fell for the ruse and became imprisoned because they were tempted by the flavor of the rambutan fruit.

The monkeys seemed less threatened by the cages as they had been out in the open earlier in the week, according to Sky News. The unfortunate three were apprehended, along with some thirty more who were lost in other areas of the city, which brought the number down.

This month’s five-day endeavor is probably going to be repeated. According to other sources, some of these monkeys will be released to help Lopburi maintain its moniker as Thailand’s monkey town.

Patarapol Maneeorn, of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, told Sky News that due to the intelligence of monkeys, if some of them enter the cage and are caught, the others outside won’t enter the cage to get the food because they’ve already learned what happened to their friends.

On Friday, authorities first sedated them to do health examinations, and then they cleaned, sterilised, and had tattoos applied to enable them to be recognized for official documentation. Then, as they look for a permanent home, they will be moved to a number of sizable holding facilities outside the town center.

Several accounts state that these monkeys have become more aggressive, and films showing them hurting and stealing food from locals have gone viral.

The mayor of the town, Chamroen Salacheep, acknowledged that while the monkeys draw tourists, they have also negatively impacted businesses, causing losses for malls and shops as well as damage to individuals’ houses. He called Lopburi somewhat of an “abandoned town.”