Too much monkey business in Petchaburi, now they’re getting sterilised

In Petchaburi, a central province, monkeys are breeding like rabbits. They might look cute at first, but the booming number of monkeys might threaten tourism since the monkeys often steal peoples’ belongings. Right now there are 1,000-1,500 per district, and this number is rising to 3,000 in Muang district. An adviser to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said the monkeys are now being sterilised.

He said the monkeys are also having blood samples drawn to be screened for diseases like rabies. This is part of a project at the Wat Kuti School in the North of Petchaburi. In the past year, the project has caught and sterilised 600 monkeys. The monkeys are freed after they’re sterilised. Petchaburi locals are getting annoyed at the monkey’s behaviour of snatching people’s sunglasses and other belongings. Monkeys in some Thai provinces have a reputation for being aggressive, most famously in Lop Buri.

In Lop Buri, most monkeys live in Phra Prang Sam Yod, a famous shrine that many people all “the monkey temple.” There are frequent famous brawls among the monkeys. One of these “monkey wars” broke out in July 2021 when two gangs fought each other: street monkeys, and temple monkeys. Some people suspect the fight might have started when one group encroached on the other’s “territory.”

Source: Nation Thailand