The second phase of the operation to capture monkeys roaming the city centre in Lop Buri was launched on Wednesday with the aim of netting between 800 and 1,000 of the primates over the next 10 days.
Officials from the municipality and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) set up large cages near the Chayovanich spare parts shop and the Manora shopping centre in Muang district to trap the macaques on Tuesday, Lop Buri mayor Jamroen Salacheep said.
The cages managed to snag 128 macaques in the first hour. They were sent to a holding facility in tambon Po Kao Ton, also in Muang district, where they would be registered, sterilised and put into enclosures to stop them from fighting, said Mr Jamroen.
The latest catch has increased the total number of rogue macaques captured in the downtown area to 415.
The first phase of the operation ran from May 24 to 28. Mr Jamroen said authorities have set a target of trapping up to 300 macaques around the Chayovanich shop and another 500 near the mall.
In the coming days, they will set up more cages in other spots in downtown Lop Buri to remove as many roaming monkeys as possible, which have caused trouble for residents and disrupted local businesses, said the mayor.
The other locations for cages include the Lopburi Asia Hotel, the junction near the Seng Heng shop, Rachanusorn Park and a branch of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, according to Mr Jamroen.
DNP director-general Atthapol Charoenchansa said seven cages, including those up and running near the Chayovanich shop and the Manora mall, are being used in the second phase of the operation.
The department will be responsible for four of the cages while the other three will be under the supervision of Lop Buri municipality.
In addition, he said a special unit for catching and transferring macaques in the municipality has been established, and a facility will be opened at the holding site in Po Kao Ton to care for the monkeys there.