A police officer keeps a watch on monkeys in the Tha Hin area of Thailand's Lop Buri province on March 27, 2024. (Photo: Bangkok Post)Major General Apirak Vetkanchana, chief of the LopBuri Provincial Police, instructed the establishment of a monkey suppressionunit which began operations on March 25.
He also approved the procurement of catapults forpolice officers to use against aggressive monkeys.
Previously, police shot monkeys with sedatives, but it tookat least five minutes for the animals to become sedated. By that time, theycould flee to other places, including reaching the top of buildings, whichcould pose a danger to people.
The move came after the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment agreed to compensate people attacked by macaques amida surge of incidents in Lop Buri.
More than 10 officials from Wildlife ConservationOffice 1 in Saraburi province have also been deployed to deal with monkeys in LopBuri’s Tha Hin area, where monkeys snatch belongings from passers-by.
The Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife andPlant Conservation of Thailand is seeking a solution to the monkey problem,such as keeping them in a zoo.
Monkeys have been troubling residents in Lop Burifor several years. A study found that there were 5,709 living wild in theprovince in 2023. The macaques are protected by the Wildlife Conservation andProtection Act in Thailand./.
VNA
