Monkey business cleaned up: Tourists cheer innovative solution at Samila Beach, Songkhla

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of KhaoSod.

 

Tourists visiting Samila Beach in Songkhla are delighted by an innovative solution to the issue of macaque monkeys scavenging through rubbish bins, causing odour and litter.

 

Complaints had been previously made about the monkeys rummaging through the bins, spilling litter and creating a foul smell, disturbing the natural environment of the beach and causing fear among the visitors.

 

The Songkhla Municipality encountered trouble with the troop of macaques that had relocated to the area in front of the Laem Samila Cave in Songkhla.

 

The primates were able to forage for food in bins that were not securely closed and contained waste from restaurants. This area had a high volume of vehicular traffic, putting the monkeys at risk of being hit by passing vehicles, reported KhaoSod.

 

by Nattapong Westwood 

Picture courtesy of KhaoSod.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-05

 

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[JoePai]

That's something new to me, Thais call monkeys 'bears' ?

[grain]

I was there 2 weeks ago, the monkeys have always been messy, but the dogs are far worse, I did a morning walk up Laem Son On, and the amount of stray dogs living there and around Samila Beach is ridiculous, we're talking several hundred in a fairly small area. I've never seen so many packs of dogs anywhere else in Thailand.

[VinnieK]

35 minutes ago, grain said:

I was there 2 weeks ago, the monkeys have always been messy, but the dogs are far worse, I did a morning walk up Laem Son On, and the amount of stray dogs living there and around Samila Beach is ridiculous, we're talking several hundred in a fairly small area. I've never seen so many packs of dogs anywhere else in Thailand.

Dogs have increased exponentially and so have monkeys.

Monkeys make sojourns all the way to the mermaid statue area ..unthinkable in the past.

Authorities have a huge problem in their hands as they cannot cull them

 

[grain]

48 minutes ago, VinnieK said:

Dogs have increased exponentially and so have monkeys.

Monkeys make sojourns all the way to the mermaid statue area ..unthinkable in the past.

Authorities have a huge problem in their hands as they cannot cull them

 

Yes, I was at the Samila Hotel, I set off early, 6am. On that stretch of sand adjacent to the Mermaid statue I counted 18 dogs, as I got around where that strip of seafood restaurants are, there were countless dogs, later as I got into Laem Son On it was ridiculous. There are entire packs and you can clearly see they are all from the same litter, so there are all these packs living in there. I watched one Thai woman roll up on a mc and throw food around for the dogs and counted 26 coming out of the bushes within a few seconds. As I said there must be hundreds of them living in that narrow cape. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

But I bet you didn't see any bears, so the Municpality can claim success. ????

[peterpaintpot]

11 hours ago, VinnieK said:

Dogs have increased exponentially and so have monkeys.

Monkeys make sojourns all the way to the mermaid statue area ..unthinkable in the past.

Authorities have a huge problem in their hands as they cannot cull them

 

Try what the GLC did in Trafalgar Square in London. The pigeons were breeding rapidly and their numbers interfered with the tourist industry  They were fed with grain containing a contraceptive. A humane method.

[grain]

11 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

But I bet you didn't see any bears, so the Municpality can claim success. ????

I saw that Bear Proof Bin and scratched my head and thought WTF  ????????????

[phuketsub]

the amount of rubbish that ends up in that bin will be many, many orders of magnitude less than the amount strewn across the strand.