Thousands of monkeys invade Thai city, forcing tourists and businesses to flee: report

A marauding army of some 3,500 monkeys have invaded a city center in Thailand, keeping tourists away and forcing businesses to shutter, according to reports.

The monkeys have become such a significant problem that the popular city of Lopburi is at risk of becoming a ghost town as Chinese investors are withholding their money until the issue is addressed, according to the South China Post.

Several companies and stores have shut their operations and fled the once-thriving trade center as local macaques harass customers and destroy businesses, according to the report.

Surachat Chanprasit, deputy of Pingya Shopping Center, told Thai outlet Khaosod that monkeys often enter the mall to climb and bother customers who come to shop.

Small business owners who rent space to sell their goods often have to fix roofs, windows and other damages each month. The mall was put up for sale two years ago but there have been no buyers.

“Previously, a Chinese investor had visited the area to check the feasibility of an investment,” Surachat said. 

“However, when the investor realized that the problem of monkey population threatening the heart of the city had not been solved, he postponed the investment indefinitely,” he added.

The Lopburi Chamber of Commerce has said the city center, once a major business district, is now deserted and falling apart, Khaosod reported. The organization has blamed that the city’s construction laws, which limit the height of buildings and preserve its history, are adding to the monkey problem.

Businesses have almost completely cleared out in the area across from the historical monument Phra Prang Sam Yot, according to the outlet.

Chamber chair Pongsatorn Chaichanapanich said he thinks laws need to be changed to allow for the management of monkeys in urban areas to save the city’s economy.

“The government needs to decide at the policy level how it will develop Lopburi as a historical city with many historical sites and how the government will help promote tourism in the province and attract more tourists,” he said.

Monkeys were once an important part of the city’s tourism business before they began destroying it, as tourists would visit to feed and interact with the monkeys at historic sites.

An annual monkey festival is also held in the region to thank the animals for bringing people to Lopburi, according to the South China Post.

But in recent years there have been growing issues with the simians. In 2020, hundreds of macaques from two rival monkey gangs were filmed fighting each other in the streets of Lopburi.

Local officials have tried to maintain the primate population with mass sterilization programs, but hungry monkeys have held strong.

Government officials in the region are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to jointly find solutions to the monkey problem.