Hua Hin Mayor Nopporn Wuttikul led a team on Tuesday (Aug 20) to the Khao Takiab area to oversee the installation of traps aimed at controlling the population of crab-eating macaques.
The move is part of the Hua Hin Municipality’s ongoing efforts to address issues caused by the macaques in local communities.
Accompanying the mayor were municipal council members Cheep Sooksee and Sayan Meephon, Permanent Secretary of Hua Hin Municipality Jeerawat Pramanee, and officials from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. The team focused on the Hua Don Community, Soi 3, where traps were set up to capture the macaques as part of a population control project planned for the 2024 fiscal year.
The project, which runs from April to September 2024, is a collaboration between Hua Hin Municipality and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Its goal is to control the population of approximately 150 crab-eating macaques within the municipality. The traps, baited with food, are designed to acclimate the macaques to them, with the ultimate aim of capturing and sterilizing the animals to prevent further population growth.
Present during the installation were Surasak Anumetangkool, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Division, along with a team of veterinarians from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, who will be responsible for carrying out the sterilization procedures.
Following the installation of the traps, Mayor Nopporn and his team visited Soi Hua Don 9 to assess the damage caused by the macaques to local properties and homes.
It is hoped that the success of the trapping and sterilization efforts in Soi Hua Don 3 will help mitigate the problems experienced by residents in the surrounding areas.
The Khao Takiab area has faced increasing challenges due to the growing population of macaques, with residents reporting damage to property and disturbances caused by the animals.