Monkey ‘mafia bosses’ now rule parts of this Thai city

The World

Humans and monkeys once peacefully coexisted in Lopburi, a mid-sized city in Thailand, but no more. Its downtown is overrun with more than 2,000 long-tailed macaques, snatching food and belongings from passersby. Wildlife authorities say the monkeys expanded turf during lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic with the alpha males now acting like gang leaders. The World’s Patrick Winn reports that they are proving difficult to dislodge. 

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