Ancient Thai city grapples with surging monkey population

Lopburi, Thailand (CNN) — It is a Friday afternoon on a Thai public vacation in September, and native vacationers are out in power within the small metropolis of Lopburi.

The attraction? Some 4,500 crab-eating macaques that roam this historical capital’s streets, a lot of which occupy the crumbling Khmer-style Phra Prang Sam Yod — aka Monkey Temple — within the metropolis middle.

The primates not already munching on snacks await the vacationers to buy baggage of the fruit, seeds, peanuts and — their favourite — sugary drinks from one of many distributors that line the parking space, practice monitor and close by roads.

Persistence is not the macaques’ type. Some shortly climb up the vacationers’ our bodies to seize the goodies and run.

Others stealthily rip open the luggage that cling from guests’ fingers, seeds falling to the bottom as their cohorts rush in to seize their share of the spoils.

Close by, a vacationer from Bangkok rushes towards one monkey that has snatched his pair of sun shades, which the animal shortly drops upon realizing it is not edible.

However the distributors are used to their methods, and have methods of retaining them at bay.

“How will we adapt? We simply promote our stuff as regular, however after they come shut, attempting to steal issues, we’ll use a slingshot and faux to fireside a shot,” says Anekchart, a fruit vendor close to the temple.

“They may simply run away. We do not even should put a shot inside.”

How did they get there?

Because the city grew up across the website, the monkeys of the forest remained.

And the locals did not thoughts. The macaques have been believed to be residing representatives of the Hindu god Hanuman, thus seen as symbols of excellent luck.

However few are feeling all that lucky as of late.

Although the monkeys have at all times been part of native life, placing town on the worldwide tourism map, regular inhabitants progress has made their presence more and more difficult.

Narongporn Doodduem, regional director of Thailand’s Division of Nationwide Parks and Wildlife, tells CNN Journey they solely began monitoring the inhabitants in 2018.

As of the top of September 2020, there are actually 9,054 crab-eating macaques — also referred to as long-tailed macaques — in Lopburi province, with 4,635 within the capital metropolis of the identical title.

Narongporn says it is not possible to disclaim {that a} inhabitants spike lately has “ruined the livelihood of native residents.”

The monkeys are identified for his or her daring habits, invading houses and companies to steal items, ripping at the whole lot from automobile windshield wipers to accommodate window screens, leaving trails of waste behind them.

“Folks can not even use rain water collected from their very own roofs due to monkey feces, and plenty of additionally can not develop crops as they’d be destroyed by monkeys,” says Narongporn.

The Covid impact

The coronavirus pandemic has simply exacerbated this longstanding drawback.

With Thailand at the moment closed to worldwide vacationers, the monkeys in the principle vacationer middle — as soon as accustomed to each day feasts — now should make do with what the locals and home weekend vacationers feed them.

“There are three predominant teams of monkeys,” explains Manus Wimuktipan, secretary of the Lopburi Monkey Basis.

“They reside in an deserted cinema, close to the native Muangthong Lodge and within the tourist-frequented Prang Sam Yod space. Apart from these three predominant gangs, there are a number of small teams which are scattered round city.”

Every group protects its territory fiercely, he says.

That is what occurred in March. In keeping with Manus, “the incident befell as a result of the monkeys from at the least three gangs all noticed an individual bringing in bottles of sweetened fermented milk. And each group wished them as a result of they like this type of drink very a lot. And that was the beginning of the fierce preventing.”

Officers say it is the consumption of those candy drinks and different junk meals that may be a huge a part of the general drawback. And it is not all being immediately handed to them both.

“The monkeys have begun to attend at rubbish bins at retailers and malls the place people dump all these tasty meals and snacks,” says Manus. “They’ve develop into hooked on human meals as a result of it’s tasty.”

Along with rotting the monkeys’ enamel, these sugary meals and drinks are additionally inflicting them to breed extra typically.

“I’ve tried to teach vacationers and locals in regards to the significance of not feeding monkeys meals that is excessive in carbohydrates and sugar — this has contributed to the expansion of the inhabitants in Lopburi considerably,” says Narongporn.

“Naturally, the monkeys would be capable of give start annually as a result of restricted quantity of meals they’ll discover in nature. However metropolis monkeys are consuming meals on a regular basis and in consequence they’re able to give start twice a yr.”

In an effort to tame the inhabitants, the province lately wrapped up its greatest sterilization marketing campaign but.

“This yr we sterilized 1,200 monkeys in Lopburi (916 of these have been within the metropolis), a brand new document. Usually we’d do round 400 monkeys a yr,” says Narongporn.

They have been receiving complaints for years, he says, however it hasn’t been straightforward to get everybody on the identical web page by way of how one can finest sustainably fight the difficulty.

This yr, nevertheless, assist has been widespread.

“I used to obtain lots of resistance from monkey lovers each time we have tried to get in to sterilize monkeys,” he says.

“Some wished to maneuver these monkeys out of Lopburi metropolis completely, however the issues are the place do you progress them? Who shall be caring for them? What to do in the event that they die or unfold illness? It could be identical to dumping one’s rubbish in one other’s home.

“However now it has modified. I’m receiving lots of cooperation from locals — together with these within the tourism business — to resolve this drawback sustainably.”

Although the monkeys could be inflicting difficulties for locals, they’re nonetheless celebrated as a neighborhood icon.

As a part of the competition, town places out an enormous unfold of meals and drinks for the monkeys to feast on, an occasion that in regular years attracts each native and worldwide vacationers.

Coexisting with the monkeys

Not everyone seems to be discovering it tough to coexist harmoniously with the monkeys.

Employees in a single auto elements store throughout the road from the “Monkey Temple” have realized to adapt and now welcome the macaques’ presence.

As we enter the store, a number of monkeys sit quietly on counters and cabinets. A small macaque sleeps on a crimson fabric on a counter.

Pathitpan Tuntiwong, 63, is the proprietor. He was born and raised within the metropolis, and says he feels sorry for the animals.

His household feeds them each day, and permits the smaller, weaker monkeys — “They have been kicked out of their herds,” he says — to return into his store in the course of the day, some even hanging onto the shirts of workers’s backs as they go about their work.

“Now we have taken their habitat away, that’s the reason the issue continues,” says Pathitpan.

“Their inhabitants has elevated quickly. It has risen to the purpose the place folks cannot take this anymore. I’ve been residing on this spot for over 60 years. I’ve progressively put up safety to maintain them out of my dwelling and constantly adapt.

“They simply do not know the place to discover a supply of meals. There are not any bushes round, there are not any water sources. Their high quality of residing is dangerous. We’re serving to as a lot as we will.”

Whereas chatting with us, Pathitpan is interrupted mid-sentence as a chaotic scene breaks out on the highway in entrance of his store. A pack of monkeys has jumped into the again of a pickup truck that is idling in visitors, and shortly begins rummaging by way of a pile of enormous cooking pots and different containers.

The truck occupants get out and swing on the animals, unsuccessfully trying to scare them off.

“They’re clearly not from right here,” laughs Pathitpan. “Folks in our neighborhood know higher than to drive down this highway with a truck loaded up like that.”