The authorities have exceeded their target to capture rogue monkeys in downtown Lop Buri after only seven days of their second-phase operation.
About 1,150 monkeys have been caught so far, already surpassing the target for the entire 10-day operation.
It was done during the second phase of the operation, launched on June 5, in which the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation and the Lop Buri municipality aimed to catch 800 to 1,000 primates over 10 days.
The captured monkeys were sent to a holding facility in tambon Po Kao Ton in Lop Buri province's Muang district, where they were to be registered, sterilised and put into enclosures to prevent them from fighting.
The relocated monkeys were reported to be in good health, both physically and mentally.
The operation was well-received by locals and netizens alike in Lop Buri. A TikTok user with the @aoo8070 handle posted a video showing an area in the city centre around Prang Sam Yod historical sanctuary, the province's main tourist attraction, now peaceful. The area was once packed with aggressive monkeys.
"Lop Buri monkeys are now gone," he said in the video caption.
The hordes of monkeys were blamed for disturbing people and grinding some businesses to a halt.
However, residents around Vichayen Road said some macaques remain on the loose after evading the authorities.
The residents noted the monkeys became smarter and recognised the officials sent out to trap them using cages.
"They visibly panicked every time they saw strangers with army fatigue caps similar to what the monkey-trapping officers wear," said a resident who declined to be named.
