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

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. 

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.