Lopburi authorities struggle to capture monkeys amid heavy rain

Lopburi authorities have launched a major operation to capture over 30 monkeys from buildings amidst heavy rain, but the intelligent primates have proven difficult to trap.

Authorities from the Department of National Parks (DNP) and Lopburi Municipality set up large monkey traps, each measuring 1.8 metres wide, 1.8 metres tall, and 15 metres long, in various parts of Lopburi city, including opposite the Tha Hin Police Station.

More than 50 officials from Lopburi Municipality and the Department of National Parks assembled at the Seng Heng intersection at 8am today to coordinate the operation. The event attracted a significant media presence, including local and international journalists, as well as local vendors and residents who came to support the officials with flowers and refreshments.

Despite their efforts, capturing the monkeys has proven challenging. The clever monkeys quickly learn to avoid the traps, often retrieving bait without getting caught. The initial plan was to close the large trap doors and capture five to ten monkeys at once. However, the monkeys’ wariness has meant that only one or two are caught at a time. Officials must exercise patience, and so far, only 33 monkeys have been captured.

The team had captured 33 monkeys by 10am, comprising both males and females. The goal is to capture between 200 and 300 monkeys by tomorrow. The first group of monkeys will be transported to a field hospital at the Phokaoton Monkey Sanctuary in Mueang District, Lopburi Province.

There, they will undergo health screenings, be weighed, have their records taken, and be neutered. They will then be kept overnight before being released into a large enclosure with 27 monkeys captured the previous week, reported KhaoSod.

Veera Khunchaicharak, DNP Deputy Director-General, who was present to oversee the operation, noted the concern for the local community’s well-being. He stated that the department aims to relocate, neuter, and place the monkeys in the Phokaoton Monkey Sanctuary. The goal is to find a sustainable solution for the future.

The monkeys, a long-standing part of Lopburi, have become a nuisance due to their increasing population, necessitating their relocation to more suitable areas that do not disturb the residents.