Rowdy monkeys moved on Phuket island

Two rowdy monkeys on an island off Phuket have been moved to the far side of the island after bothering residents. The two macaques had been disturbing locals and causing trouble, according to the head of Khao Phra Thaeo Nature and Wildlife Education Center Pongchart Chuahom.

Officers from a rescue foundation of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-hunting Area arrived on Saturday to move the macaques, The Phuket News reported. The macaques would undergo health checks by wildlife experts and be tested for diseases, Pongchart said.

Phuket’s growing monkey population, on top of the island province’s urbanisation, has been causing issues. There have been a growing number of incidents of humans and monkeys encroaching on each other’s spaces.

In September, monkeys barged into the grounds of a new resort in Chalong and tried to get into guests’ rooms. Wildlife officers inspected the resort to spell out a few rules for guests. Pongchat said guests “must absolutely not give the monkeys any food.”

Pongchat said guests should not leave waste outside of the room while they’re waiting for it to be collected, because wild animals would eat the food scraps. He also said that employees should check to make sure that food scraps had been collected. Officers then set up traps meant to catch animals that trespassed.

Phuket officials have made numerous warnings that monkeys can be dangerous and can carry diseases.

Phuket isn’t the only hotspot in Thailand where monkeys have made bold appearances. In May, a couple arrived at a luxury resort in Krabi to find a group of monkeys in the hot tub. In a video posted on Facebook, a group of monkeys can be seen having the time of their lives, diving into the steamy hot tub, swimming under the water, and jumping in from high up in a nearby tree.

Time will tell if there’s ever a long-term solution to tensions between monkeys and humans in Phuket, and elsewhere in Thailand.