Hundreds of long-tailed macaques enjoyed two tonnes of fruits and vegetables on Sunday at the Monkey Festival in Thailand.
Tourists and locals in the town of Lopburi watched the animals climb on people and chairs while eating bananas, pineapples and other fruits.
“It’s the first time in two years that monkeys get to eat various kinds of fruits and vegetables, and I’m happy for them,” said 24-year-old Thanida Phudjeeb, who came with her family.
The festival is an annual tradition for locals to thank the monkeys for doing their part in drawing in tourists to Lopburi, which is sometimes known as Monkey Province.
“Today is the 33rd time that we held this event. This year, under the theme of ‘Wheelchair Monkey Party’ where we will donate 100 wheelchairs to people in need,” monkey buffet organizer Yongyuth Kitwatananusonst told Reuters.
After the government launched its quarantine-free travel scheme for vaccinated tourists in November, tourists have been slowly returning to Thailand.
“We came here since yesterday. I’m really happy to get to see this, and now I’m thinking about going to the next festival,” tourist Ayoub Boukhari, who visited Thailand with his friends, said.
The Animal Reader is a small, independent news platform with daily posts about issues affecting animals.
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