The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) denies claims that it is moving macaques from Lop Buri to Khao Yai National Park.
DNP director-general Atthapol Charoenchansa spoke to the media on Wednesday about an action plan to get rid of the pests and the move to set up a command centre for catching macaques in Lop Buri. He said he had ordered the DNP's Protected Area Regional Office (Saraburi) to start capturing aggressive monkeys that are causing trouble for locals in Lop Buri municipality on March 25.
Mr Atthapol said the DNP's unit caught a total of 37 macaques during March 25-27 and April 1-3. They will be held at the macaque facility in tambon Pho Kao Ton in Muang district of Lop Buri.
He said all the captured monkeys were getting good care and sterilised before being sent to the facility.
Mr Atthapol also denied recent rumours the authorities are transferring the macaques that have been caught to Khao Yai National Park in Prachin Buri.
He said the reports may have arisen due to a misunderstanding caused by the fact the authorities are temporarily holding them at the Wildlife Rescue Center No 1 in Nakhon Nayok, which is part of Khao Yai National Park.
Meanwhile, director of the DNP's Wildlife Conservation Office Phadet Laithong, said the DNP is looking to move about 800 macaques in Lop Buri's Muang district to the macaque facility in tambon Pho Kao Ton during the first phase of the plan to relocate the primates to the facility.
The plan's first phase will be divided into three stages, with the first to take place between April 18 and 20 and the last to start in May.
The remaining 1,500 macaques will be captured and sent to the facility during the second phase, which will begin once new cages have been built at the facility, Mr Phadet said.
Some may be sent to another location, he added.