Minister orders stepped-up efforts to control monkey menace in Hua Hin

Deputy government spokeswoman Kenikar Oonjit said that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Patcharawat Wongsuwan wanted greater efforts from officials to sterilise long-tailed macaques and to try to relocate them from the community areas of Hua Hin.

Kenikar said Patcharawat had told the Wildlife Conservation Office and the Third Park and Forest Conservation Office under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNPWP) to collaborate with the municipality in capturing and sterilising the monkeys as soon as possible.

She said Patcharwat had assigned DNPWP director-general Attapol Charoenchansa to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Hua Hin mayor to cooperate on handling the monkey population in Hua Hin.

According to the spokeswoman, the minister was reacting to complaints from local residents and tourists that the wild macaques had become more aggressive after their population had increased and they could not find enough food.

Kenikar said long-tailed macaques are wild animals protected under the wildlife conservation and protection act of BE 2562 (2019) and their protection is under the jurisdiction of the DNPWP.

She said once the macaques are captured for sterilisation, they would be put into cages for controlling their behaviours before being relocated to appropriate wildlife sanctuaries.

The growing population of macaques in Hua Hin has been an issue for over a decade. Most of the monkeys live on the Khao Takiab mountain in forests and deserted areas. Sometimes, they invade the nearby Buddhist temple to look for food. Sometimes, they beg for food from tourists and there have been reports that they stole from local residents or snatched foods from the hands of tourists.

Local authorities tried to capture them for relocation back in 2017 to no avail because their population grew quickly.

In 2021, an army of monkeys was seen parading on walls and electric cables from the mountain to Hua Hin town to look for food.