Macaque monkeys in Lop Buri province that have caused a nuisance to visitors and residents in Lop Buri province will be relocated to a zoo by the end of this month.
Lop Buri municipality and the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department joined hands after receiving complaints from many people. Workers are in the process of building a huge cage in Pho Kao Ton sub-district, which will be the new home for the monkeys.
The macaques have been causing troubles to people visitors and residents around Phra Prang Sam Yod, where they have been residing and multiplying.
An official at the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, who was involved in the relocation of monkeys from Phetchaburi province, said that the new home for the monkeys is almost complete, but the net needs to be strengthened and the location adjusted to suit the behaviour of the monkeys. He added that this facility can accommodate up to 300 monkeys.
Since 2014, the department has sterilised about 5,000 macaques in Lop Buri. The population has now dwindled to about 2,200.
A resident said, however, that there are still many monkeys that have been overlooked by the authorities, adding that these trouble-making animals have been terrorising people in a community behind a foundation in the vicinity of Phra Prang Sam Yod.
He claimed that half of the ten houses in the small community have been abandoned by their owners and are now occupied by the monkeys.
For those who are still living there, he said that they have to fix their roofs twice a year because of damage caused by the monkeys and every house has installed iron grilles, to prevent the monkeys from getting in.
He said that, while the iron grille is good protection against the monkeys, it can be a dangerous trap for the occupants in case of a fire.
