Dry times leave monkeys hungry

Dry times leave monkeys hungry

A signpost urges people wanting to feed monkeys to honk a horn. (Photo by Chudeet Seehawong)
A signpost urges people wanting to feed monkeys to honk a horn. (Photo by Chudeet Seehawong)

The water shortage has begun taking a toll on more than 1,000 monkeys living in a forest behind a temple in Chai Nat as the fruit trees they rely on are failing to bear fruit.

A woman feeds monkeys at a temple in Chai Nat, where more than 1,000 long-tailed macaques are suffering from a food shortage due to dry conditions. (Photo by Chudet Seehawong)

Phra Khru Sophit Chaiyakarn, the abbot of Wat Pikulnam in Manorom district of this central province, said on Saturday that a troop of long-tailed macaques was in dire need of fruit as the trees in the temple forest were badly affected by dry conditions.

The monkeys have lost weight because of the fruit shortage. Without forest fruits, the hungry animals have been entering the temple compound to eat the monks' leftover food to survive, said the abbot.

However, leftovers were insufficient for the monkey troop, numbering over 1,000. They have lived in the temple forest for generations.

Visitors sometimes bring fruit and vegetables to feed the monkeys. One local resident said the long-tailed macaques were friendly to humans and they never snatched food from people.

She noticed that the monkeys liked eating bananas, corn and peanuts. They often stay in  trees and quickly climb down when they hear the sound of a car horn. A signpost at the temple asks people wanting to feed the monkeys to honk the horns of their vehicles.

The lack of food has also driven hungry monkeys, mostly babies, to look for food in the temple hall, while adult monkeys have invaded farms around the site.

The temple has urged people not to hurt monkeys as they are only trying to survive the food shortage during the dry period.

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