By Trend News Line 2024-03-30 08:32:27.
Cops in Thailand have been forced to arm themselves with slingshots to fight off rampaging monkeys – but it is by no means the first time police officers have engaged in war against criminal primates.
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
In India crooks have been known to train monkeys to attack victims for cash and belongings. While out-of-control crazed monkeys turned on their owners, going as far as killing them and others in a series of savage attacks in recent years across Asia.
It was revealed this week that rampaging monkeys are terrorising a Thai tourist town, causing cops to arm themselves with slingshots and tranquiliser guns to combat the ‘dangerous’ primates. The mischievous primates have been spotted attacking and purposefully intimidating travellers in order to steal their valuable items including phones and wallets.
Officers said they have come under attack from aggressive macaques in the town of Lopburi, around 90 miles north of the capital Bangkok, which has become notorious for its out-of-control monkey population.
The local police station has now issued wooden catapults that officers can use to fire at the unruly primates, which often climb over cars and steal food from shops and tourists as well as vandalise property. Police Major General Apirak Wechkanchana, commander of Lopburi Provincial Police, ordered to establish a special unit to combat aggressive wild monkeys.
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
Here, MailOnline looks at the rise of monkey madness in different parts of the world, including the worst acts the simians have carried out.
Trained by ‘Fagin’ crooks to rob
In 2021, two robbers who allegedly trained monkeys to intimidate victims into handing over cash were arrested in India. The men taught the primates, who are known to attack people for items, to scare members of the public in New Delhi into handing over their valuable possessions.
One alleged victim, a lawyer, claimed three men jumped inside a rickshaw he was travelling in and invited two monkeys to sit on the front and back seat before demanding he hand over 6,000 rupees (close to £60).
A spokesperson for the police in New Delhi said: ‘They took the money the lawyer had in his wallet and fled with the monkeys.’ Police suspected the gang were behind other similar thefts and officers set up a dedicated team to track down the culprits, who were arrested Thursday at a bus stop along with their animal accomplices. The pair’s gang of monkeys were sent to an animal rescue following an investigation into the ‘strange case involving monkeys’ was launched.
Similarly, monkeys living at Uluwatu Temple in Indonesia make the most of the crowds of travellers by deliberately stealing items and using them as bargaining chips to get food. The unprecedented behaviour was observed by researchers from the University of Lethbridge in Canada. They also noticed older and more experienced primates target high-value items, such as phones, and demand even more food for their loot.
Researchers observed video recordings of the monkeys as visitors approached them at the Hindu holy site between 2015 and 2016. It showed the monkeys would grab an item from a person and wait for a human to offer them food in order to get it back. The monkey would only give the item back after receiving offerings it considered to be sufficient and a fair exchange.
‘Robbing ‘banks
But it’s not just petty theft – the creatures have also been involved in some high-stakes operations. In 2020, police in India’s capital rushed to the scene of a suspected bank robbery near the country’s presidential palace. Officers in New Delhi were called to a State Bank of India ATM that is a ten-minute walk from the palace after the front of the machine was pulled off.
Suspecting an attempted robbery, the cops reviewed CCTV footage – only to discover that the culprit was actually a curious primate. A video shows the monkey – believed to be a Rhesus Macaque, which are native to the city – climbing up the front of the machine and tugging at the top of it.
It is not clear how the monkey managed to get to the ATM – which is behind a glass door with a handle – or how it escaped again afterwards. There are thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 Rhesus Macaques living in New Delhi, where they have a reputation for causing chaos. The monkeys are frequently spotted stealing food, snapping power lines, and have even been involved in attacks on passersby.
Kidnapping other animals and children
Adorable puppies and kittens have also fallen victim, being kidnapped and held hostage by monkeys. A two-week-old black and white puppy, named Saru, was grabbed by a primate and taken to the top of an electricity post in Taman Lestari Putra, Malaysia, back in 2021.
After three days, the pup was rescued after helpful passers-by pelted the monkey with small rocks and wood, as well as throwing firecrackers on the ground in the hope that the loud noises would scare it. The dog was checked for injuries and adopted by a local, and is doing well.
In Thailand, another troublesome monkey kidnapped a kitten back in 2019. The primate grabbed the feline as it wandered around outside a home in Rayong – footage shows the monkey on a roof holding the terrified kitten in its arms before it eats a series of bananas as shocked onlookers look on in horror.
The creatures have even gone as far as kidnapping and killing children – in 2021, tragedy struck when monkeys in southern India snatched a pair of eight-day-old twins from their home before killing one of the girls, their mother claimed.
Killer attacks
Just last month, a 15-year-old girl died and her sister sustained injuries when they fell into a dry well after they were set upon by raging wild monkeys in India. Sapna and her sister Sadhna, 19, plunged down the well in the Nai Nagla locality of Uttar Pradesh two days ago when they were working on the terrace of their home. After the horrific ordeal, they were taken to the hospital by locals. Sapna passed away during treatment, while Sadhna was in critical condition, the Times of India reported..
– trained monkey pickpockets target tourists
– animal kingdom thieves steal from humans.
