Wednesday (Dec 27) is the first day that officials from the Department of National Parks set up monkey traps around the Phra Nakhon Khiri historical park or Khao Wang in Phetchaburi to capture the long-tailed macaques and relocate them to the temporary shelter at the Huai Sai Wildlife Rescue Center.
This decision was made due to a monkey population spike, which has been affecting the livelihood of the local residents. These monkeys known for their bold behavior came down from the hill to steal goods, causing damage to properties and creating disturbances for the local residents.
In the operation, the officials used large cages to trap the monkey groups at three locations in front of Khao Wang. Approximately 80 monkeys were captured out of the targeted 200.
The operation proved to be challenging as the monkeys are intelligent and tend to flee to the opposite side when they realize they are being captured. Some monkeys, especially the group leaders, posed threats and attempted to harm the officials. (TNA)
