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[Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>]

http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/nov22w18.htm

Bangkok's monkey population bomb

BANGKOK (dpa) - A simian population explosion is causing concern for provincial officials in northeastern Thailand, where more than 1,000 monkeys are competing for handouts along a highway through their jungle domain.

Mura Patee, the chief of Pana district in the province of Amnatcharoen, 500 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, said Thursday that members of four monkey groups, or kingdoms, gathered daily along a highway through the Don Poo Ta jungle, waiting for tourists to stop and give them bananas, bread and other food.

"Normally the monkey population is kept down by the amount of food in the jungle. It's survival of the fittest," Mura told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in a telephone interview. "But with the handouts from the tourists, more of the monkeys are surviving and they have more time to make love."

Nearby villagers consider the Don Poo Ta jungle a sacred area and enjoy good relations with the four monkey groups, which tend to stay within their own boundaries.

Mura said he and other local officials were concerned that several monkeys had been run over by motorists driving too fast through the forest. Signs had been posted urging motorists to slow down.