New Delhi: After two years of gap due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand resumed its famous Monkey Festival. Thousand of monkeys in Lopburi in central Thailand feasted on two tonnes of fruits and vegetables which locals and tourists enjoyed watching.
The long-tailed monkeys popularly known as macaques were in hundreds who were seen climbing up on people and stacks of fruit, munching away on bananas and pineapples.
The festival which costs more than 100,000 baht ($3,000) is an annual tradition that locals conduct to thank monkeys to attract tourists to Lopburi, thus enhancing the revenue of the place. This place is sometimes called “Monkey Province.”
“Today’s special is durian, which is expensive. Lopburi monkeys like expensive things,” said Yongyuth Kitwatanausont, who has previously organised over 30 monkey festivals.
Meanwhile, the theme of this year’s Monkey Festival was wheelchair monkeys, as Yongyuth planned to donate 100 wheelchairs to needy people.
Thailand has been once again seeing the influx of tourists after its government declared a quarantine-free travel scheme for vaccinated tourists in November. Moreover, the festival has been an attractive event to draw in more tourists.
Thailand witnessed an inflow of as many as 100,000 inbound travellers in November, which recorded the highest draw since the first ten months combined.
“I’m really happy to get to see this and now I’m thinking about going to the next festival,” said Moroccan tourist Ayoub Boukhari.
“It’s quite unexpected and the monkeys are quite silly.”
Even some tourists were seen playing with the monkeys with their cameras in the Monkey Festival. Besides, the resumption of the festival has pleased the locals.
It’s the first time in two years that monkeys get to eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables,” said Thanida Phudjeeb. “I’m happy for them.”