THAILAND – Hundreds of hungry monkeys were seen fighting over a single banana in Thailand after coronavirus caused a huge drop in the numbers of tourists who feed them.
The primates are normally well fed by tourists in Lopburi, central Thailand, but visitors have plummeted because of the COVID-19 virus which gripped the world.
The Scene
The animals were reported to be part of two ‘rival gangs’ made up of the monkeys who dwell in the city and those from the temple areas who were fighting over food.
Footage shows hundreds of monkeys crossing a road and then chasing a single monkey which has got hold of a banana.
At first the primates are seen running independently as they appear to look for food. But then the noise of their cries increases dramatically as dozens chase a single monkey which seems to have a banana.
They are seen jumping on it and others as they fight over the food. Even locals who are used to seeing the monkeys were shocked by their ferocity.
Statement From Witness
Onlooker Sasaluk Rattanachai captured the scene from outside a shop where she works.
She said: ‘They looked more like wild dogs than monkeys. They went crazy for the single piece of food. I’ve never seen them this aggressive.
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‘I think the monkeys were very, very hungry. There’s normally a lot of tourists here to feed the monkeys but now there are not as many, because of the coronavirus.’
Lopburi is home to thousands of wild monkeys that roam the streets and buildings. Many live in the grounds of the city’s ancient Buddhist temples.
It is said to be divided between the monkeys which live in the temple areas, and those which live in the city, according to a report in the Bangkok Post.
