Most people will associate gang fights with movies and shows but they have become a reality on the streets of Thailand. However, the brawl is not among humans but rival gangs of monkeys instead! The fight was so epic that it even halted traffic and caused a jam. Now, the crazy footage captured by an onlooker is going viral.
In videos going viral, two big group of monkeys were seen charging at each other fiercely, terrifying commuters at a junction. As the simians continued their face-off, people on motorbikes and cars were seen waiting while a few tried to steer away from the commotion, fearing they could get caught in the fight.
The incident came to light when Facebook user, Wisrut Suwanphak, shared a couple of videos capturing the scary duel. The post went viral not just in Thailand but outside as well with over 10,000 shares.
The crazy incident took place around Prang Sam Yot, in front of Phra Kan Shrine in Lopburi, a popular tourist destination in the country that is home to thousands of monkeys. With Covid-19 restrictions that kept tourists away from the city and lockdown that kept even most locals indoors, the primates have been struggling to get food. It seems hunger led to the fight between the two groups.
The person who recorded the clip told Thairath that he went up to the third floor of a building to clean it when he heard monkeys screeching. Although monkey fights are common in the locality, he said he had never seen so many monkeys wrestling with each other before, which he likened to a gangster fight in a movie.
He said it was impossible to stop the monkeys as they took on each other and when people started to honk louder to disperse them, it only aggravated the matter. “As a result of this incident, several monkeys were injured. There was blood on the road surface. And not until the leader of the losing side resigned himself, they did not retreat,” the eye-witness added.
“Monkey battles in Lopburi occur frequently. It’s not strange. It’s about the power struggle, the food fight, the fertilization of the females,” a spokesperson for the Department of National Parks told Matichon.
However, this is not the first time it has happened. In 2020, two gangs of monkeys were embroiled in a fight in the same city and video started serious conversation about taking care of animals during the pandemic. Many had argued that tourism changed the behaviour of these monkeys as they now expect to receive food from humans.
The Indian Express