Cambodia News (Siem Reap): The Apsara Authority collaborated with the forestry administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, to begin the removal of a group of savage monkeys from the Angkor Wat area. They are being taken to quarantine before being released into the forest beside the Angkor Wat national park, far from tourists. The project was started at Bayon temple yesterday.

The troop of wild monkeys got so used to people giving them food, that they were no longer afraid of humans. They became aggressive and snatched food and bags from tourists, causing annoyance, and sometimes even attacking and biting people. The monkeys were also causing destruction to temples by pushing over rocks, statues, and signs, inside the Angkor Park.

Mr. Coura Dyna, the deputy director of Forestry Administration, Landscape, Culture and Environment of the Apsara Authority, said he didn't know the exact number of monkeys that need to be removed from the area, but in collaboration with the forestry and wildlife officers, they guarantee that the removal of the monkeys will be undertaken in conditions that ensure the safety of both the officers and the animals.

I think the only solution is culling them. As long as people keep on feeding them and they lose all fears of humans, they will be coming back. We regularly had to cull monkeys, Vervets to be exact, in the hotels my parents worked in as tourists kept on feeding them and they stopped begging for food and just grabbed; biting people in the process.

As usual the government report is not entirely true. The monkeys are being removed and killed. There are photos on Khmer language media showing shot monkeys including a shot of a mother with babies. Too graphic for sensitive western eyes. Khmer people are very much against killing the monkeys. It is also said that an NGO is replacing the monkeys with some "black" monkeys. So far no confirmation or photos of this.

samrong01 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:32 am As usual the government report is not entirely true. The monkeys are being removed and killed. There are photos on Khmer language media showing shot monkeys including a shot of a mother with babies. Too graphic for sensitive western eyes. Khmer people are very much against killing the monkeys. It is also said that an NGO is replacing the monkeys with some "black" monkeys. So far no confirmation or photos of this.

You are right, I saw the photos on my FB feed.

“Relocation” my ass

The monkeys were the most pleasing aspect of my one and only visit to Ankkor Wat.

December 31, 2020
Apsara Authority quashes the ‘monkey rumour’

The Apsara Authority has been slammed with harsh criticism by the public on social media of criminal cruelty after its officials captured ferocious monkeys at the Bayon temple, a claim which has been denied yesterday by the Authority.

On Tuesday, officials from the Apsara Authority went to Angkor Thom complex to capture some monkeys, which they said had been attacking tourists who visit the historical site. Videos that went viral on Facebook and other social media showed officials shoot the animals with tranquiliser guns before transporting the monkeys out of the temple area in cages.

As the officials were doing their job, a group of people were protesting against the action. A man was even seen crying in one of the videos as he was shouting that the officials were killing the monkeys.

“They (monkey) have been living here for so long!” another protester was shouting at the officials, who were trying to stop him filming the operation. “How could you be cold-hearted and kill them like that?”

Since Tuesday, social media users have been posting criticisms of the Apsara Authority, accusing them of animal cruelty. Most of the posts came with pictures of the monkeys with bloody wounds or pathetically hugging their offspring.

“The authorities used wrong techniques and caused so many monkeys to die. They are living creatures too!” wrote a Cambodian Facebook user.

“Which one is crueller? Monkeys or the people who capture them,” wrote another.

However, Long Kosal, Apsara Authority spokesman and the one who led the operation on Tuesday, denied the accusation of animal cruelty yesterday and claimed that no monkeys died or were seriously injured in the operation.

“Those who have been criticising us do not know about the reality of our actions,” he said.

Kosal explained that the Apsara Authority has received reports about the monkeys’ attacking tourists at Angkor Archaeological Park.

“Some tourists were bitten by the monkeys,” he said. “Some others had their belongings such as bags or mobile phones snatched by these animals.”

Kosal added that only 16 monkeys were captured from the park and they are now quarantined at Phnom Tamao Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Centre before being released into the forest outside Angkor to prevent them from infecting other monkeys or animals in the wild.

“Those 16 monkeys are among the most ferocious and have been the leaders of the other monkeys attacking people,” he said.

He continued that it was the protesters, whom he claimed are Youtubers, who spread rumours against the Apsara Authority.

“Those Youtubers have been filming the monkeys in the park and making money from the videos,” Kosal said. “The image of injured monkeys which they have posted and shared are in fact old pictures which are not related to the operation.”

Allan Michaud, a Cambodian-based wildlife conservationist and photographer, said he trusted the Apsara Authority removal, adding that the monkeys’ attacks on tourists have been a real problem.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50799257/a ... ey-rumour/

Some monkeys are smart.

Bali’s thieving monkeys can spot high-value items to ransom
Study finds macaques go for tourists’ electronics and wallets over empty bags and then maximise their profit
Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent
Last modified on Thu 14 Jan 2021 09.20 GMT

At the Uluwatu temple in Bali, monkeys mean business. The long-tailed macaques who roam the ancient site are infamous for brazenly robbing unsuspecting tourists and clinging on to their possessions until food is offered as ransom payment.

Researchers have found they are also skilled at judging which items their victims value the most and using this information to maximise their profit.

Shrewd macaques prefer to target items that humans are most likely to exchange for food, such as electronics, rather than objects that tourists care less about, such as hairpins or empty camera bags, said Dr Jean-Baptiste Leca, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of Lethbridge in Canada and lead author of the study.

Mobile phones, wallets and prescription glasses are among the high-value possessions the monkeys aim to steal. “These monkeys have become experts at snatching them from absent-minded tourists who didn’t listen to the temple staff’s recommendations to keep all valuables inside zipped handbags firmly tied around their necks and backs,” said Leca.

After spending more than 273 days filming interactions between the animals and temple visitors, researchers found that the macaques would demand better rewards – such as more food – for higher-valued items.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... swag-study