The troops of wild monkeys living in Phuket will be relocated to areas where contact with humans will be reduced, Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong announced at a meeting with members from a National Legislative Assembly (NLA) investigative committee yesterday.
The announcement follows the NLA members and wildlife officials inspecting Rang Hill, Koh Sirey, and other monkey habitats in Phuket on Sunday to survey potential new homes for the monkeys.
Pongchart Chouehorm, Director of the Natural and Wildlife Education Centre at Khao Phra Theaw nature reserve in Thalang, said, “We have now surveyed and collected information on five islands around Phuket. Some of the monkeys will be released to the secure ecosystems of these selected islands, to reduce the number of monkeys in areas highly populated with locals and tourists here in Phuket.”
Gov. Norraphat did not specify which troops of monkeys will be relocated but noted the six main locations where troops of monkeys live in Phuket: Rang Hill, Toh Sae Hill, Soi Tha Noon, Soi Kingkaew 9, Bang Rong Pier, and Baan Yamu.
“There are two types of monkeys, the pig-tailed macaque and long-tailed macaque. There have been complaints that they sometimes attack people for food, steal people’s belongings, and expect for tourists to feed them. Also, they sometimes they attack people walking past them,” he added.
The search for potential new homes for Phuket’s monkeys began in May of this year with wildlife officials inspecting nearby islands Koh Pae and Koh Thanan, both off Pa Khlok, and Koh Malee, offshore from Rassada, on Phuket’s east coast.
The search continued in August with surveys of the small islands island of Koh Malee, Koh Payu, and Koh Ngam, also off Phuket’s east coast.
However, the move to ramp up efforts to find new homes for Phuket’s wild monkeys follows a local resident suffering injuries to his leg after a troop of monkeys attacked him on Toh Sae Hill in Phuket Town in July.
Story: The Phuket News
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