Pol Maj Gen Apirak Vetkanchana, chief of the Lopburi Provincial Police, instructed Pol Col Kantaphon Wanna, the superintendent of Tha Hin Police, to set up a monkey suppression unit, which began operations on Monday (Mar 25).
Pol Maj Gen Apirak approved the procurement of slingshots for police officers to use against aggressive monkeys, reports the Bangkok Post.
Previously, police were shooting monkeys with sedatives, but it takes at least five minutes for the animals to become sedated. By that time, they could flee to other places, including reaching the top of buildings, which could pose a danger to people.
The first day of the operation received positive feedback from local residents.
The move comes after the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry on Saturday agreed to compensate people attacked by macaques amid a surge of incidents in Lopburi, including at least three major cases this month.
More than 10 officials from Wildlife Conservation Office 1 in Saraburi have been deployed to deal with the monkeys around the Provincial Agriculture and Cooperatives Office on Ratchadamnoen Road in tambon Tha Hin, where monkeys snatch belongings from passersby. Officials have placed cages across the area and trapped nine monkeys on Monday and another seven on Tuesday.
Sutthipong Kaemtubtim, wildlife conservation director, said 18 monkeys which had been caught were taken to a wildlife clinic in Saraburi for a health check.
They will then be sent to a suitable place for around two months before being sent back to Lopburi.
The Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is seeking a solution for the monkey problem, such as keeping them in a zoo.
DNP officials also placed cages on Ratchadamnoen Road and captured five more monkeys yesterday.
Monkeys have been troubling residents in Lopburi for several years, with a recent study finding there was a population of 5,709 living wild in the province in 2023. The macaques are protected by the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act.