NEW: Rival monkey gangs are taking over a Thai tourist town, forcing police officers to arm themselves with sling-shots and tranquilizer guns.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 28, 2024
The monkeys have taken over Lopburi which is about 90 miles from Bangkok.
One team successfully captured monkey gang leader Ai Krao who… pic.twitter.com/WT1oLTrxxR
Who had monkey gangs on their 2024 bingo card?????
I'll take rats, pigeons and grackles as an urban nuisance pest over monkeys any day!
more detail....
[url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13248217/Rampaging-monkey-gangs-terrorise-Thailand-cops-slingshots.html][/url]
Quote:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13248217/Rampaging-monkey-gangs-terrorise-Thailand-cops-slingshots.html
The local police station has now issued wooden catapults that officers can use to fire at the unruly primates, which often climb over cars and steal food from shops and tourists as well as vandalise property.
Footage shows two police officers riding around Lopburi on a motorcycle, with the one on the back drawing the slingshot and launching small stones at the 'dangerous' primates.
The move comes as Police Major General Apirak Wechkanchana, commander of Lopburi Provincial Police, ordered to establish a special unit to combat aggressive wild monkeys.
General Apirak said: 'I am aware of the potential danger from monkeys. 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.
Staff at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation have also started catching some of the worst monkey offenders and relocating them to temporary shelters.
However, they reportedly had difficulties as the primate 'thugs' were familiar with tranquiliser guns and would scale tall buildings and houses whenever they came near.
Nathi Krutthaka, Conservation Bureau Officer No. 1, said: 'We had to hide our faces and conceal the tranquiliser guns so the monkeys wouldn't see them.'