They have been ruining the lives of both Thai residents and tourists for years. Animals attack people in packs, steal food and things, damage property. The situation is especially deplorable in the popular Thai tourist town of Lopburi — a whole "army" of almost 6 thousand macaques has gathered there.
The local police decided to radically fight the "monkey menace". A special police department was created to combat the monkeys. The enforcers are trained to capture the animals and shoot them with slingshots. They are assisted by members of the Wildlife Conservation Department - they catch monkeys using special cages.
Since March 26, Lopburi police officers have managed to capture 23 macaques. The law enforcers also captured one of the instigators of the riots - an alpha male nicknamed "Beard". Now the "rioters" are in a special clinic for animals, and the city authorities are puzzling over where to put the monkeys. It is possible that a special zoo will be built for them.
But once tourists from all over the world specially came to Thailand to see street monkeys. They were a tourist highlight of Lopburi - there was even a festival dedicated to these animals. But as time went on, the monkeys began to get brazen and cause more and more trouble for locals and visitors.
The problem was so serious that Lopburi began to close shopping centers and stores - the animals destroyed goods and smashed windows. However, the macaques themselves could not be harmed - they were protected by the Wildlife Conservation Act. The aggressive animals could not be caught with tranquilizer darts, as it is usually done in such cases. It took at least five minutes for the drugs to work on the monkey. During this time it had time to climb to the roof of the building or hide in hard-to-reach places, and after the beginning of the drug action - to die.
The situation became critical. The historical center of Lopburi became empty, tourists stopped visiting the city, and the local budget suffered huge losses. The Thai press writes that Lopburi may even turn into a ghost town. And the macaque population continues to grow rapidly - in 2023 scientists counted 5709 individuals.
