In Petchaburi, a central province, monkeys breed like rabbits. They may look cute at first, but the booming number of monkeys could threaten tourism as the monkeys often steal people’s property. There are currently 1,000 to 1,500 per district, and this number rises to 3,000 in Muang District. An adviser to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said the monkeys are now being sterilized.
He said blood samples would also be taken from the monkeys to check for diseases such as rabies. This is part of a project at Wat Kuti School in north Petchaburi. Last year the project trapped and sterilized 600 monkeys. The monkeys are released after being sterilized. Petchaburi locals are angry at the monkey’s behavior of stealing people’s sunglasses and other belongings. Monkeys in some Thai provinces have a reputation for being aggressive, most notably in Lop Buri.
In Lop Buri, most of the monkeys live in Phra Prang Sam Yod, a famous shrine that many people refer to as the “Monkey Temple”. Famous brawls often break out among the apes. One of these “monkey wars” broke out in July 2021 when two gangs fought each other: street monkeys and temple monkeys. Some people suggest that the fight may have started when one group encroached on the other’s “territory”.
Source: Nation of Thailand
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