Thousands of monkeys from three separate tribes have commenced on an all-out brawl in the middle of a Thai city, Thai media reports say.
Footage of the monkey hordes running around and fighting each other in Lopburi city centre on Wednesday was widely shared on social media and published by Thai media.
The battle was between monkeys from different parts of the province: one tribe that claims the territory of a historic temple, another tribe that inhabits a nearby shrine and a third that typically roams around a food market down the street, Thai newspaper Thairath reported on Thursday.
The report said the monkey fights broke out due to extremely hot weather conditions, which surpassed 40C, and a lack of food for the animals because of fewer tourists have been visiting over the past year and the country's ongoing drought conditions.
Lopburi province, about 140km north of Bangkok, is home to thousands of monkeys that typically roam around the city and have become the province's main tourist attraction.
The Thairath report cited Lopburi local Beaw Aum-in, a 65-year old motorcycle taxi driver who has been hanging out with the monkeys for all his life, as saying that it was the first time he had ever seen such a large fight between them.
Thairath also reported that monkeys from Lopburi have been known to hitch on trains to pick fights with monkeys in Nakhon Sawan province, a further 140km north of Lopburi.
© AAP 2024