IN A real-life scene that could have been plucked from a sci-fi film, a terrifying swarm of monkeys have completely taken over a city.
Shocking video showed hundreds of monkeys fill the streets as their friends across town attacked people and stole food.
8
8
8
Traffic was brought to a standstill in the Thai tourist town of Lopburi, as monkeys ran across the road, in front and over the top of vehicles.
Primates in Lopburi have become increasingly aggressive in recent months, stealing food from shops and tourists, vandalising properties, and causing injury to people in a spate of attacks.
Cops have had to arm themselves with slingshots and tranquilliser guns to combat the “dangerous” animals.
There could be more than 10,000 monkeys in Lopburi Province, including more than 2,200 in the Lopburi’s old town area.
Workers from the Natural Resources, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department this week placed cages at several locations across the city, hoping to catch some of the worst monkey offenders.
Previously, hunters would shoot the menacing macaques with sedative bullets.
But it would take at least five minutes for the animals to become sedated, in which time they could escape to other places that posed a danger to people, an official told local media.
Police Maj Gen Apirak Wechkanchana decided to establish a special unit to combat aggressive wild monkeys as he was “aware of the potential danger” they posed, Daily Mail reports.
He said: “They have started to pose a threat to tourists and locals. The slingshots now being carried by our officers will help to threaten the monkeys when necessary.
“In most cases they only need to use the slingshots as a deterrent, they don’t have to use objects to strike the monkeys.”
The crackdown on monkeys began after the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry agreed to compensate people who had been attacked by the animals.
There have been at least three major monkey attacks in Lopburi this month.
Monkeys caught during the hunt will be released at the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Nakhon Nayok, the Lopburi Municipality said.
The animals that have not been sterilised will be prioritised for sterilisation before they are relocated.
A local told Thai Public Broadcasting Service of the monkeys: “Sometimes they snatched mobile phones from students.
“I went after them but I could do nothing because the monkey went up to the building.”
8
8
8
8
