A long-tailed macaque looks into a motorbike’s side mirror, near Phra Prang Sam Yot temple. Lopburi, Thailand.
Macaques, believed to bring good fortune, are part of the identity of “Monkey City” – Lopburi, north of Bangkok, Thailand. Tourists flocked to see them, feeding them fruit. By 2020, the monkey population had reached 3,121, but during COVID-19, tourists disappeared. Marauding monkeys became more aggressive, confronting residents, stealing food, and fighting. Residents tried unsuccessfully to deter them with slingshots, and from April 2024 authorities intervened with a sterilisation program to bring the situation back under control.
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