Nearly 100 monkeys have escaped from a government-run enclosure in central Thailand, causing chaos in the area and prompting a large-scale effort to capture the animals.
According to officials, the monkeys broke through part of an enclosure at the Lopburi Municipality Animal Nursery, where they were being housed under local authority care after being transferred from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Fortunately, workers were able to prevent more than 1,000 other monkeys at the facility from escaping, and a search operation was launched in nearby residential areas to catch the escaped animals.
Authorities used food-baited cages to lure some of the escaped monkeys back into custody, while others, including larger and more dominant macaques, were subdued with tranquilizer darts before being captured.
The damaged enclosure has been repaired and reinforced to prevent additional escapes, and officials plan to build a more secure, double-layer enclosure to keep dominant monkeys from breaking out in the future.
Lopburi Gov. Weeraphong Ritrod has announced plans to establish a foundation to support food costs and improve the monkeys' welfare, and Mayor Chamroen Salacheep has apologized to residents affected by the incident.
The city of Lopburi has long been known for its large population of free-roaming macaques, which have caused problems for residents and businesses due to property damage and aggressive behavior.
Authorities have been working to reduce the monkey population through sterilization programs and relocation to dedicated enclosures, and efforts are underway to address the aftermath of the escape and prevent future incidents.
