Lop Buri’s got a monkey on its back: Officials’ primate crackdown
Lop Buri officials are targeting the capture of 500 to 800 monkeys around Phra Prang Sam Yot, following last year’s rounding up of over 2,400 monkeys. The initiative aims to manage the monkey population, which has caused disturbances in the area.
Yesterday, March 18, officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), along with Lop Buri municipal officers, continued efforts to capture monkeys in the old town area surrounding Phra Prang Sam Yot.
This operation involved transferring more than 300 monkeys from a reserve cage set up by the Lop Buri municipality at the end of 2024. These monkeys, previously captured to reduce their disruptive behaviour, had not yet undergone sterilisation.
The DNP has now deployed a team of over 20 veterinarians to the area. Their task is to officially process the monkeys by conducting health checks, performing sterilisations, and marking them with tattoos for identification.
This is part of Lop Buri province’s annual management plan for monkey health and population control for the 2025 fiscal year.
Following the completion of sterilisation for the previously captured group, a new round of trapping will start on March 23, 2025. The operation will occur around Phra Prang Sam Yot and the Kosah community alley, with an initial target of capturing 500 to 800 monkeys.
The monkeys will be sterilised at the Lop Buri municipal animal hospital. Last year, the DNP, in collaboration with the Lop Buri municipality, captured over 2,400 monkeys to mitigate the disturbances caused by the monkey population in various areas of Lop Buri, reported KhaoSod.
However, delays in capturing have occurred due to incomplete large cages and an insufficient number of cages, preventing the capture of some monkeys.
Consequently, these monkeys have expanded their territories into buildings and homes, raising concerns among different sectors about potential disturbances to residents, similar to past issues.
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