- Title: Caged monkeys offered annual banquet in Thailand's Lopburi following crackdown
- Date: 24th November 2024
- Summary: LOPBURI, THAILAND (NOVEMBER 24, 2024) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF MONKEYS IN CAGE EATING FOOD DURING ANNUAL BANQUET FESTIVAL FOOD BEING BROUGHT INTO CAGE MONKEYS CLIMBING CAGE MONKEYS EATING MONKEY HANGING ONTO CAGE LOOKING INTO CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) FOUNDER OF ANNUAL MONKEY FESTIVAL, YONGYUTH KITWATTANANUSORN, SAYING: "We brought today both Thai and international fruits - avocado, durian, persimmon. No cherry this year as it’s not in season yet. For Thai fruits there’s custard apple, mangosteen, longan, and we included vegetables, cucumbers, zucchini - there’s everything - long beans too - it’s all their (monkeys') favourites." FOOD ON PLATTER BEING BROUGHT TO MONKEYS VARIOUS OF MONKEYS EATING FOOD IN FRONT OF ANCIENT TEMPLE VARIOUS OF TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) FOUNDER OF ANNUAL MONKEY FESTIVAL, YONGYUTH KITWATTANANUSORN, SAYING: "Well, the monkeys want to live in their natural habitats but we also have to admit that they do cause a lot of trouble for the local business here, a lot of shops had to close down. They captured them, not to harm the monkeys, the city does take good care of them while thinking of the next solution.” VARIOUS OF MONKEYS EATING VARIOUS OF TOURISTS TAKING PICTURES VARIOUS OF MONKEYS EATING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JASON WEBB, 53, BRITISH TOURIST, SAYING: "I think it (annual banquet) should be preserved, because it has been going on for a long time now, and it's part of Lopburi. I did see the cages, they were a little bit difficult, I understand that it's got to be controlled between humans... between people and monkeys. Thailand is doing its best it can with it, I think. You've got to try and look at the positive sides of it. It's not easy to contain it and and still keep it going. It's become a festival now that people know about. And it's nice to see the interaction of the monkeys living there rather than in cages. But it's a fine balance of the two, mixing us and the wildlife." VARIOUS OF TOURISTS INTERACTING WITH MONKEYS (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) SOMCHI SIENGSAWAT, 59 YEARS OLD, VISITOR FROM BANGKOK, SAYING: "Yes, the number of monkeys were too large (before crackdown) and caused trouble for the local community here so some of them were captured. But actually, it wasn’t the best thing because they had lived here since the past and it has become the uniqueness of this city, so they should remain." VARIOUS OF TOURISTS INTERACTING WITH MONKEYS VARIOUS OF MONKEYS ON THE STREETS
- Embargoed: 8th December 2024 08:03
- Keywords: BANQUET MONKEYS THAILAND
- Location: LOPBURI, THAILAND
- City: LOPBURI, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001208124112024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Monkeys, both captured in cages and roaming free near the ancient temple of Thailand's Lopburi, were offered fresh fruits and vegetables in an annual banquet festival on Sunday (November 24).
It was the first time the city hosted the festival since the monkeys were rounded up and sterilised after turning rampant over the past four years.
The macaques, believed to bring good fortune, also inhabit nearby forests and have long been a part of the city's history. But after Lopburi came out of the pandemic lockdown in mid-2022, its residents found that the monkeys, without people feeding them, had become unruly.
Following a government campaign to control the situation this year, Lopburi's primate pandemonium has finally come under control, with around 1,600 monkeys in captivity. Some animal rights groups agree with authorities on neutering the monkeys, but not putting them in cages.
"Thailand is doing its best it can with it, I think... it's not easy to contain it and and still keep it going," said 53-year-old British tourist Jason Webb, as the monkeys were enjoying their colourful platters of food and tourists were documenting it on their smartphones.
The festival, led by 84-year-old local businessman Yongyuth Kitwattananusorn, is now in its 36th year to help boost tourism in the province, which is home to the 10th-century Phra Prang Sam Yod temple.
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