There was pandemonium in Lopburi when about forty macaque monkeysbroke out of their enclosure at the Pho Khao Ton Animal Nursery, also known as Lopburi Monkey Park. The macaque monkeys escaped, perhaps thanks to a powerful alpha monkey rattling loose wires.
Locals revealed the macaques prowling the streets, scaling homes, and even breaking into the Tha Hin Police Station. To apprehend the monkeys, representatives from the Lopburi Municipality and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation hurried to the scene.
They were able to lure some of the monkeys back into the enclosure using food and cages. However, some of the more sly monkeys stayed out in the open, sitting on rooftops and watching the chaos below.
The damaged enclosure revealed a 20-centimeter gap between the wire and the metal cage. According to officials, the alpha monkey’s strength broke the welds.
The surviving monkeys were contained in a 500-meter radius around the sanctuary. To apprehend them, officials set up cages with food and tranquilizer darts. With the use of a cherry picker and a tranquilizer gun, one extremely elusive alpha monkey—identified by a code on its left arm—was eventually brought down.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than twenty monkeys had been apprehended and brought back to the enclosure. By the end of the day, officials are optimistic that they will be able to capture every runaway monkey.
In May, macaques transported from Lopburi City Center to Pho Khao Ton Animal Nursery became their new home in an effort to address the friction between humans and monkeys.
The monkeys had been seriously upsetting the locals by robbing them of food and breaking windows and roofs. The extreme monkey infestation has even led to the abandonment of some buildings.
The move is a component of a larger plan to encourage peaceful coexistence between humans and monkeys in Lopburi. The shelter, which is outside the city, allows the monkeys to live in a more spacious and natural setting.
To stop the monkeys from hiding inside, residents close to the animal nursery center are urged to securely close their windows and doors. The authorities are sure they will bring back every monkey who escaped.
Source: MCOT