Rival Monkey Gangs Go Berserk And Fight Over Yogurt Drinks, Causes Traffic Jam For Hoomans

Monkey brawl in Lopburi


Images adapted from: Sasaluk Rattanachai and TNN

Lopburi is best known for its big monkey population. They live close to humans in the urban areas and around Phra Prang Sam Yod, the province’s iconic ancient shrine. 

Earlier this week, Mr. Sasaluk Rattanachai shared a video and photos on his Facebook, showing hundreds of monkeys from 2 “gangs” fighting in the province.


“Temple Monkeys” vs. “City Monkeys”


Image credit: Sasaluk Rattanachai

One gang is known by the locals as the “temple monkeys”, which live around Phra Prang Sam Yod, while another is known as the “city monkeys,” living in the municipality area. Both territories are divided by the city’s northern train track.   

Normally, the 2 gangs live in peace and don’t interfere with one another – but there’s an exception for everything. 


Monkey gangs fought over yogurt


Image credit: TNN

Although some say it’s a bad omen that the monkeys were fighting one another, there’s an explanation behind this chaotic incident.

Turns out, some charitable folks left a lot of yogurt drinks for the monkeys to feast on. However, the drinks were placed in the city monkeys’ territory. When the temple monkeys crossed the track to get their share, the fight broke out.   

The brawl caused a traffic jam in the area for a good 15-20 minutes before they stopped fighting and returned to their zones.


How to deal with these cheeky friends


Image credit: Travelintrend

If you don’t know already, tourists can actually visit Phra Prang Sam Yod and take pictures with these guys. But there are some rules to follow for your own safety. 

  • Put all of your essentials like a mobile phone and shades in your backpack instead of flashing them around, otherwise, you might have to spend hours getting them back from a monkey thief.
  • When a monkey comes for your food, let them have it. There’s no need to fight over food that might end up leaving you with bite marks – for which you’ll need tetanus and rabies vaccines afterwards. 
  • Don’t even think about picking them up, for the same reason!

Judging from this incident, we guess there’s no “sharing is caring” in these hot-headed pals’ dictionary. 

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Eddie Jirayu: