Food thief in Thailand


Monkey Thief
Images adapted from: The Pattaya News

We’ve seen how berserk things can get when gangster monkeys get hungry. That’s why we need to be extra careful when coming face to face with them, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic when food is pretty hard to find.

2 days ago, a monkey was reported for stealing food like durian, eggs, and other items from locals in Banglamung district, Chonburi. 


The monkey was caught red-handed


On 12th May 2020, authorities from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation in Chonburi got a report from local residents that there was a random monkey invading their property and stealing their food.

Monkey Thief
Image credit: The Pattaya News

The staff went down to the said housing estate in Jomtien and caught the money red-handed as he was busy eating what he had stolen. 

The monkey was found to be male, estimated at around 2 years old. While the wildlife control staff were trying to catch the monkey, he dashed to the rooftop and hid in ventilation ducts in fright.

Monkey Thief
Image credit: The Pattaya News

In order to calm the monkey down and bring him to a safe place, the staff needed to administer him with an anaesthetic dart. This enabled them to get to him without anyone getting hurt and “arrest” him. The monkey didn’t get injured from the incident.

Monkey Thief
The sneaky thief
Image credit: The Pattaya News


He was taken to a safe place for treatment


Monkey Thief
Image credit: The Pattaya News

After the monkey got caught, he was sent to the Banglamung Wildlife Breeding Centre for treatment. He is now feeling better and will be released once he is ready to go.

We hope that once the monkey is back where he belongs, he stays safe and doesn’t have to steal food from people ever again. No monkey business here!

If you run into any dangerous animals in your area, do not catch them by yourself. It’s safer to call 199 and lodge a report so that professionals can deal with the situation safely. 

Read more monkey stories here:


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