Shopkeeper Supaporn Reanprayoorn hugs “Sweet”, her favorite macaque. Some residents love the monkeys and see them as an inseparable part of the city. 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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