Lopburi Municipality kicks off plan to tackle macaque menace

The Lopburi Municipality on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, agreeing to work together in tackling the problem.

The plan calls for the macaques to be moved into a large shelter at the Monkey Garden covering an area of over 13 rai (2.08 hectares) in the Pho Kao Ton community of Lopburi’s Muang district. They will then be released into the wild.

Lopburi mayor Jamroen Salacheep, who took a media group to inspect the shelter on Wednesday, said that the “monkey nursery” would facilitate the plan to relocate macaques.

“We aim to ease the impact of the increase in monkey population. Nowadays, Lopburi city has become almost a ghost town,” he said.

The first batches of macaques to be relocated to the shelter are those that were sterilised.

Crab-eating macaques are protected wild animals under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act.

With over 5,000 simians swarming its municipality that was once a thriving trade hub, Lopburi is at risk of becoming a ghost town, as the mischievous monkeys harass residents and damage houses and businesses while deterring potential visitors.

Many businesses in the city area have been put up for sale due to a constant decline in customers.

A recent Facebook post went viral as it showed the photo of a schoolgirl pointing her toy gun at a little monkey while carrying bags of beverage in one hand, as other pesky primates looked on.

The photo became a meme on social media, but Lopburi residents pointed out that this image was a true portrayal of their city’s monkey problem.

Macaques are notorious for stealing food and even expensive items from residents and tourists alike.

Athapol Charoenshunsa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said that authorities had previously faced opposition from many residents when they attempted to move the monkeys out of Lopburi’s popular tourist sites, such as the Prang Sam Yot pagoda ruins and the Phra Kan Shrine.

However, now, as they are suffering, “all the sectors” have agreed that the monkeys have to be relocated, the official said.

Songsak Techaiya, a cloth vendor in Lopburi, said there were too many monkeys in the city and many of them drove away tourists.

“The inner-city area is becoming a ghost town. Trade and businesses have been damaged. Many shops closed down or moved out of the city area,” he said.

The vendor said that the number of monkeys should be reduced so that they serve as a symbol of the province, but don't become perilous as they are now.

A survey by the department in 2018 found that there were 9,324 monkeys in Lopburi. The number decreased to 5,709 last year. A total of 2,206 monkeys were recorded in Lopburi’s municipality area during last year’s survey.

The department started a sterilisation programme in 2014. A total of 5,135 monkeys in Lopburi have been sterilised – 2,757 of them in the municipality area.