How an army of sex-crazed monkeys 'rich in sugar' invaded the city after a junk food buffet from locals, sparking the breeding frenzy
An army of sex-crazed monkeys terrorized a city after indulging in buffets of sugary drinks and snacks, it has been revealed.
The rampaging macaques are thought to have been made hypersexual and violent by sugar provided to them at an annual festival.
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Company owners on the streets of Lopburi, Thailand, have been forced to close indefinitely, while residents have had to flee or stay indoors and barricade their homes. houses as a sequel to the invasion of the monkeys.
The city is now completely overrun by some 3,500 monkeys, with certain parts considered complete no-go zones due to gangs struggle for power on the streets.
But until the invasion, the monkeys were a major attraction for tourists.
They were so popular that an annual Monkey Buffet Festival was introduced at Phra Prang Sam Yot Temple in 1989.
For decades, holidaymakers have flocked to the city to watch the monkeys feast on fruit and vegetables.
At each festival, the monkeys fill their bellies with two tons of food for 100,000 spectators.
It's a spectacle enjoyed by people all over the world, aimed at boosting the economy and honoring the traditional Lopburi belief that monkeys are disciples of the protective spirit Jao Paw Phra Kan.
The festival is also thought to have led to population growth.
Lopburi encountered a lot of problems during the Covid-19 pandemic brought the event to a halt.
Without their usual mountain of food to keep them fed and happy, the monkeys began attacking the local population.
To appease them, people fed them junk food – including sweets, soda, fruit drinks, chocolate and cereal – but it only seemed to make the animals more violent.
Sugary foods are known to increase the productivity of monkeys and encourage them to reproduce more.
The thousands of animals have now become so enhanced that they steal cars and cause chaos on the roads.
A local, Kuljira Taechawattanawanna, told AFP: “We live in a cage, but the monkeys live outside.”
And a market trader, Somsaksri Janhon, told the Guardian: 'The monkeys are hungrier and more aggressive than before.
'They're taking everything they can. The comb, the mirror. If I leave the food unattended, they steal it too.”
Thailand's Ministry of National Parks has launched a sterilization program to try to regain control of the wild monkeys.
Officials successfully sterilized several hundred monkeys in 2020 by luring them into cages with large fruits.
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