A troop of long-tailed macaques in Bangkok's Bang Khunthian district have been relocated after residents complained the monkeys were breaking into their homes and stealing their food.
Nipon Chotiban, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said yesterday that 60-100 monkeys had been relocated to Pantainorasingh Wildlife Sanctuary in Samut Songkhram province.
The macaques will be tested and then released to either the nearby Khun Kala mangrove forest, where they can live on crabs and small aquatic animals, or to Khaoson Wildlife Breeding Centre in Ratchaburi, he said.
Bang Khunthian is home to about 300 long-tailed macaques, which are facing the twin threats of urban expansion and coastal erosion.
Due to decreasing forest area, the monkeys had to scavenge through rubbish and stole food from people's houses.
Long-tailed macaques are kept in a big cage to be moved from Bang Kradee in Bang Khunthian district to Pantainorasingh Wildlife Sanctuary where they will have their blood tested before being released into the wild.
State agencies held two public hearings, in August and last Tuesday, on the problem. Residents agreed that relocating the monkeys was the best solution, Mr Nipon said.
"Residents' involvement in solving the problem is vital," he said.
The locals urged authorities to remove the monkeys from their neighbourhood after complaining that the macaques broke into their homes and destroyed their belongings. They also complained of being intimidated by the monkeys.
The crab-eating monkeys also risked being hit by cars as they foraged for food, or being attacked by locals when they approached them to beg for food.
Mr Nipon said his department placed food in cages in the neighbourhood to lure the monkeys in before moving them to Samut Songkhram. The department has also worked on controlling their population growth after their numbers increased sharply over recent years.
A group of pesty monkeys in Bang Khuntien district are being relocated to the wild in a move to help both the residents and the animals. - Reuters