Thai village under siege from marauding monkeys

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Feature
Thai village under siege from marauding monkeys
by Apilaporn VECHAKIJ

KHLONG CHAROEN WAI, August 29, 2013 (AFP) - In one Thai village homes are raided, property is pinched and locals are attacked by dastardly gangs operating beyond the law -- but the perpetrators are monkeys, not men.

"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 hide in a cabinet," said Chaluay Khamkajit, after years battling with pesky primates who are thought to have been drawn into Khlong Charoen Wai village by habitat loss.

"They took my snacks, I can buy new ones, but the medicines are important to me," the 72-year-old said, as she and her husband demonstrated a variety of anti-monkey devices including a homemade lock for the fridge and the more direct deterrent of a sling-shot.

Around 150 households in the shrimp farming community in Chachoengsao province on the east coast, 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Bangkok, have suffered raids by so-called "sea monkeys" -- long-tailed macaques -- for about a decade.

An increasing number of shrimp farms, coupled with the associated deforestation, is thought to be behind a surge in monkeys venturing into built-up areas.

"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, expressing frustration at some villagers who give food to the incorrigible creatures.

"Sometimes, a few hundred monkeys come at once -- especially at dawn and dusk when it is cooler. They know it is time to be fed," he said.

Conservation group WWF said people have encroached on the monkeys' habitat -- not the other way around.

"People have moved closer to nature, that is why there is an increased chance of interaction between human and animals," WWF Thailand director Petch Manopawitr told AFP.

"Macaques can adjust their behaviour quite well -- they learn in similar ways as humans -- and when they know that they can find food in a village, they come."

-- 'We cannot stop them' --

The spread of villages into formerly dense jungle has caused other clashes between people and beasts in Thailand.
"Wild pigs eat farm plants. But the villagers can also shoot the pigs and eat them," said Petch, adding that elephants and tigers were a less edible source of village disruption.

And WWF say the problem is accelerating.

In a recent report, the conservation group said demand for farmland could strip the Greater Mekong region -- Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam -- of a third of its remaining forest cover over the next two decades without swift government action.

Between 1973 -- the first point of available data -- and 2009, Thailand lost some 43 percent of its natural woodland, the WWF said, although it praised the country for its network of national parks.

Khlong Charoen Wai's monkeys spend their days hanging out on the narrow bamboo bridges that meander across the coastal swampland at the edge of the village.

Mothers lounge with babies slung across their chests, while others leap between nearby mangrove trees.

They tend to flee when approached. But when nobody seems to be looking, they climb onto roofs, leaving trails of muddy footprints as they stalk into homes through any openings they can find.

Residents have been forced to seal their houses with nets, lock their windows despite the tropical heat, and secure their property the best they can.

"They pushed over a 21-inch television, which fell and smashed. They even stole a rice cooker, managed to open it and scooped out the rice to eat," said Chatree.

Local authorities tried to curb the monkey raids -- even attempting to sterilise the intruders. But that effort was on too small a scale according to deputy village head Tawin Songcharoen.

"We cannot stop them," he told AFP.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-08-29

[jpinx]

Don't make the mistake of throwing stones at them to chase them away -- they'll retaliate in kind and they are very good shots !

[JetsetBkk]

Are they thirsty, too?

[keestha]

Both in Petchaburi and in Prachuabkhirikhan I slept in hotels right beside a forested hill, where monkeys were a major problem. Staff warning to keep the door closed at all times, and being woken up by a monkey trying to open a window. Monkeys can get aggressive, and their bite leaves a nasty wound which has to be disinfected thoroughly.

[lemoncake]

Clearly its a problem, why not look or think outside just a little.

Would it not be cheaper to prepare some foods for them and leave it in an area where they can all eat-hence no need to raid the houses

[edwardandtubs]

Vicious little bar stewards those monkeys are.

[loong]

Clearly its a problem, why not look or think outside just a little.

Would it not be cheaper to prepare some foods for them and leave it in an area where they can all eat-hence no need to raid the houses

The problem with wild animals is that the population expands when food is readily available.

[Pimay1]

Clearly its a problem, why not look or think outside just a little.

Would it not be cheaper to prepare some foods for them and leave it in an area where they can all eat-hence no need to raid the houses

The problem with wild animals is that the population expands when food is readily available.

A couple of rottweilers around the house should do it.

[booky]

":But the villagers can also shoot the pigs and eat them," said Petch, adding that elephants and tigers were a less edible "

and the monkeys?

[inquisitive]

Clearly its a problem, why not look or think outside just a little.

Would it not be cheaper to prepare some foods for them and leave it in an area where they can all eat-hence no need to raid the houses

I see my response was already covered. Sorry!

Edited August 29, 2013 by inquisitive

[PoorSucker]

Don't spank the monkeys.

[lee b]

Cheeky little monkeys !!

[Bounngou]

Both in Petchaburi and in Prachuabkhirikhan I slept in hotels right beside a forested hill, where monkeys were a major problem. Staff warning to keep the door closed at all times, and being woken up by a monkey trying to open a window. Monkeys can get aggressive, and their bite leaves a nasty wound which has to be disinfected thoroughly.

see them at my hotel room window in petchaburi. lopburi too has monkey infestation.

monkey brains served at the table comes to mind from somewhere.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Bounngou

[Briggsy]

Monkey good

People no good

[fasteddie]

They had a problem with them on Koh Jum about 20yrs ago, shot the alpha male, problem solved.

[Kommiekat]

"...........have suffered raids by so-called "sea monkeys........."

Pirate monkeys!

Edited August 29, 2013 by Kommiekat

[nami]

They can be nasty some times, but the problem has been created by humans who now want to get rid of them. Zero sympathy!

[Alwyn]

who wrote the article!! "locals are attacked by dastardly gangs operating beyond the law" and " incorrigible creatures" FANTASTIC!! I haven't read prose like that since I was in India!!

[Bluespunk]

"An increasing number of shrimp farms, coupled with the associated deforestation, is thought to be behind a surge in monkeys venturing into built-up areas."

Stop developing shrimp farms. Stop destroying the monkey's natural habitat. Stop believing that humanity has the right to do whatever they like and anything that interferes with that is a pest. Solve this problem and others caused by humanity's rapicious appetites.

[lemoncake]

Clearly its a problem, why not look or think outside just a little.

Would it not be cheaper to prepare some foods for them and leave it in an area where they can all eat-hence no need to raid the houses

The problem with wild animals is that the population expands when food is readily available.

Current situation is not really a better alternative

[Bounngou]

Both in Petchaburi and in Prachuabkhirikhan I slept in hotels right beside a forested hill, where monkeys were a major problem. Staff warning to keep the door closed at all times, and being woken up by a monkey trying to open a window. Monkeys can get aggressive, and their bite leaves a nasty wound which has to be disinfected thoroughly.

see them at my hotel room window in petchaburi. lopburi too has monkey infestation.

monkey brains served at the table comes to mind from somewhere.

Monkey good

People no good

are you cambodian Briggsy?

Edited August 29, 2013 by Bounngou

[catweazle]

Power to the monkeys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I strongly support them in their fight to claim back their territory

Just love this story!!!!

[metisdead]

During the day, a number of posts comparing red shirts, PTP, members of parliament and police with monkeys have been removed and will continue to be removed. Don't bother with this derogatory generalization.

[tingtongteesood]

Fried monkey, nutritious, and delicious !!

[tominbkk]

Shotgun!

[HowieD]

The way it's resolved in South America is by capturing and painting one of the monkeys with vivid colors then releasing it. The other monkeys will run away from it as it runs to them, effectively scaring them all away.

[IsaanUSA]

Fried monkey, nutritious, and delicious !!

Fry the monkeys and feed it to the other monkeys

[seminomadic]

Clearly its a problem, why not look or think outside just a little.

Would it not be cheaper to prepare some foods for them and leave it in an area where they can all eat-hence no need to raid the houses

Once you pay the Dane-geld, you never get rid of the Dane.

[seminomadic]

Stop developing shrimp farms. Stop destroying the monkey's natural habitat. Stop believing that humanity has the right to do whatever they like and anything that interferes with that is a pest. Solve this problem and others caused by humanity's rapicious appetites.

said the preachy guy who proposed no remotely practical way of reversing prevailing beliefs about humanity's unchecked endeavors, using an electricity-sucking computer made of plastic and oil in a room with artificial temperature control thanks to another energy-hogging appliance, probably from a room in a building on a property which 20 years ago was nothing but weeds, cobras & trees.

Edited August 29, 2013 by seminomadic

[PoorSucker]

Public warning.

Next one comparing monkeys to any race, political standing, or similar will go for a posting holiday.