WORLD NEWS | Monkeys in central Thailand city celebrate their day with feast

LOPN Buri, Nov. 27 (AP) — A monkey-friendly meal was served at the annual monkey feast in central Thailand on Sunday.

In the morning traffic, rows of statues of monkeys carrying trays lined the grounds of the ancient three pagoda compound, while volunteers prepared food for real monkeys across the road — about 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of Bangkok. ) of the province’s symbol.

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Groups of macaques run around, sometimes fighting with each other, while crowds of tourists and locals grow.

When the elaborate feast was brought to the temple, the ravenous creatures swooped in and devoured most of the vegetarian food in no time.

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While the festival’s entertainment value is high, organizers are quick to point out that it’s more than just nonsense.

“This monkey festival is a successful event that helps promote Lopburi tourism among international tourists every year,” said Yongyuth Kitwatanusont, the festival’s founder.

“In the past, there were about 300 monkeys in Lopburi, and now it has increased to nearly 4,000. But Lopburi is called the Monkey City, which means that monkeys and people can live in harmony.”

This harmony can be seen in the lack of shyness displayed by the monkeys as they climbed onto tourists, vehicles and lampposts. Sometimes a curious animal takes an interest in other objects beyond the sumptuous feast.

“When I was trying to take a selfie, I had a monkey on my back. He snatched the sunglasses from my face and ran up the lamppost trying to eat them,” said Aisha Ayesha, an English teacher from California who works in Thailand. Ayisha Bhatt said.

Glad bystanders are largely undeterred by the risk of petty theft, though some are content to play it safe.

“We have to take care of them and it’s best to let them do their own thing. It’s better to be too close,” said Carlos Rodway, a tourist from Cadiz, Spain, who had been unceremoniously used as a climbing frame by a daring monkey.

The festival is an annual tradition in Lopburi and is held to thank the monkeys for bringing tourism. This year’s theme is “Monkeys Feed Monkeys,” a welcome antidote to previous years when monkey participation was threatened by the high number of tourists. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)