Lop Buri to sterilise first batch of monkeys

LOP BURI, April 25 (TNA) -- The medical experts are now ready to carry out sterilisation on the first group of monkeys living in the heart of Lop Buri's provincia seat, with an aim to properly control the population of the mammal. Officials from the Live Stock Development Office in Lop Buri, together with the Protected Area Regional Office 1, Sara Buri province, and troops from the Special Warfare Centre have been preping the animal hospital within the Lop Buri Zoo and cleaning equipment prior to the examination of the monkeys living near the San Phra Kan, a Brahman shrine located next to Wat Phra Prang Sam Yot and nearby areas before they were to go under surgery. Officials said the sterilisation is required to control the over growing population of the monkeys to ensure that problems such as food shortage and changing behaviours do not occur, as the monkeys still remain to be the main tourist attraction of the heart of Lop Buri. Officials have set up black box cages at the back of the Lopburi Public Health Office building, which have been baited with food to attract the monkeys into the cages for the past two days. The cages are set to be closed today, where the monkeys would be brought in for a health checkup before they would be put under the knife for a sterilisation procedure. After the operation, the monkeys would also be put under post surgery rehabilitation sessions before being sent to the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Nakhon Nayok province for further recuperation. Once, the monkeys return to their normal health, they would then be delivered back to Lop Buri. Lop Buri Governor Panu Yamsri said the monkeys' health check up and population control were suggested by the local people living near the provincial seat municipality zone, as they wanted the monkeys to be healthy, as they are also an integral part of the city. (TNA)