Thai village invaded by monkey army
The invasion has lasted for more than a decade; hellish hordes of wild marauding long-tailed macaques are causing chaos in the Thai village of Khlong Charoen Wai, where they are beating up locals, breaking into houses and stealing medicine, food and whatever else they can get their fiendish greasy monkey hands on.
“They creep into my house when they see me sleeping, they go into the kitchen and take cooking oil, sugar and even the medicines that I had in a cabinet,” said Chaluay Khamkajit, who has been at war with the maddening monkeys for years.
Some locals speculate that it’s due to the habitat loss that these pesky primates are pillaging their village. Shrimp farms accompanied with deforestation along the coast of Chachoengsao province is thought to be the reason for the surges. According to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), between 1979 and 2009, Thailand lost more than 43 per cent of it’s natural woodland.
“They could find food easily in the past but when there is less forest, they have to find food in people’s houses,” said village headman Chatree Kaencharoen.
When approached, the animals tend to flee – but when eyes are averted, the long-armed, hairy-bodied, cold-faced monkeys use their dexterity attribute to leap between mangrove trees, on top of roofs where they leave trails of feces, cramming themselves into homes through any opening they can find. With more than 150 homes raided, residents have been forced to seal up their houses with nets, locking their windows despite tropical heat and securing their property the best that they can.
Local authorities have been helpless – even trying to curb the invasions through sterilisations. Yet, the attempt was on a small scale and had ultimately failed.
The invasion has lasted for more than a decade; hellish hordes of wild marauding long-tailed macaques are causing chaos in the Thai village of Khlong Charoen Wai, where they are beating up locals, breaking into houses and stealing medicine, food and whatever else they can get their fiendish greasy monkey hands on. “They creep into my house when they see me sleeping, they go into the kitchen and take cooking oil, sugar and even the medicines that I had in a cabinet,” said Chaluay Khamkajit, who has been at war with the maddening monkeys for years. Some locals speculate that...
The invasion has lasted for more than a decade; hellish hordes of wild marauding long-tailed macaques are causing chaos in the Thai village of Khlong Charoen Wai, where they are beating up locals, breaking into houses and stealing medicine, food and whatever else they can get their fiendish greasy monkey hands on.
“They creep into my house when they see me sleeping, they go into the kitchen and take cooking oil, sugar and even the medicines that I had in a cabinet,” said Chaluay Khamkajit, who has been at war with the maddening monkeys for years.
Some locals speculate that it’s due to the habitat loss that these pesky primates are pillaging their village. Shrimp farms accompanied with deforestation along the coast of Chachoengsao province is thought to be the reason for the surges. According to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), between 1979 and 2009, Thailand lost more than 43 per cent of it’s natural woodland.
“They could find food easily in the past but when there is less forest, they have to find food in people’s houses,” said village headman Chatree Kaencharoen.
When approached, the animals tend to flee – but when eyes are averted, the long-armed, hairy-bodied, cold-faced monkeys use their dexterity attribute to leap between mangrove trees, on top of roofs where they leave trails of feces, cramming themselves into homes through any opening they can find. With more than 150 homes raided, residents have been forced to seal up their houses with nets, locking their windows despite tropical heat and securing their property the best that they can.
Local authorities have been helpless – even trying to curb the invasions through sterilisations. Yet, the attempt was on a small scale and had ultimately failed.
