With the tourists gone, they’ve been more aggressive, fighting humans for food to survive -Veterinarian

Traffic was brought to a halt in Lopburi, Thailand this week after rival monkey gangs started fighting over food. The monkeys usually rely on tourists for snacks, but covid-19 lockdowns have often left them hungry, Washington post reports.

“With the tourists gone, they’ve been more aggressive, fighting humans for food to survive,” a local veterinarian said. “They’re invading buildings and forcing locals to flee their homes.”

According to the report, drivers had to wait in their cars for several minutes as the wild monkeys squabbled in the streets. Onlookers could hear the monkeys squealing until one of the groups was chased away.

“I could see they were having an argument,” one witness said. “Then they all ran onto the road and began wrestling. There were so many of them.”

Lopburi, located about 95 miles north of Bangkok, is known for its large presence of monkeys. Officials have tried controlling the population with sterilization efforts, but locals say they’re lucky to have the animals occupy their city, the report submits.