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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rebecca Ratcliffe and Navaon Siradapuvadol in Bangkok

No more monkey business: Thai city’s macaques to be put in enclosures

Macaques climb on tables and statues of monkeys to eat food laid out as tourists watch on
Macaques in Lopburi during the annual ‘monkey buffet’ festival where they are given fruit and other treats. Photograph: Chalida E Kvitthayavechnukul/AP

Mischievous long-tailed macaques are, for many, a symbol of the Thai city of Lopburi. Tourists flock to the city’s ancient temple to feed the macaques fresh fruit and photograph them as they maraud the streets. But, increasingly, residents say they have had enough.

This week, after growing complaints from residents, wildlife officials announced a plan to round up 2,500 of the urban monkeys and place them in large enclosures. It follows an incident in March where a woman’s knee wasdislocated after she was kicked in the back by a monkey that wanted her food. Separately, a man lost control of his motorcycle after a monkey tried to grab a bag of food from him.

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