WATCH: Lack of tourists drives hundreds of monkeys in Thailand to fight for food amid coronavirus outbreak

Monkeys in Thailand (Image: Facebook/Sasaluk Rattanachai)

Hundreds of monkeys brawled on the streets of Thailand for food, after the number of tourists in the area declined due to the increasing threat of the novel coronavirus around the globe.

The monkeys were apparently fighting over a single banana, Daily Mail reported last Wednesday, March 11. The animals were usually fed by tourists visiting the area.

The province of Lopburi is home to a thousand monkeys, according to the Bangkok Post on the same day. These primates reportedly constituted two groups–those living in temple areas and the city dwellers–and these two clusters normally did not occupy another’s territories.

Locals were shocked when the animals began populating the streets in large numbers, which were caught on video by a certain Sasaluk Rattanachai, who uploaded it on Facebook last Tuesday, March 10.

The monkeys began fighting in one area in the middle of the street as seen in the video. Someone tried to shout at the animals to break the fight off but to no avail.

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Locals have different theories about the reason for the brawl, the Thai newspaper said. Some believed that the scorching heat played a factor in the unusual event, explaining that the weather might have caused the monkeys’ hot-tempered behavior.

Others pointed out that they might be fighting for food.

A woman said that the monkeys began entering other areas to meet their needs since food was not enough, Thai Rath online reported via Bangkok Post.

A local also interpreted the incident as a bad omen: “Did this relate to the Covid-19 virus that is spreading?” the man told Manager Daily 360 Degree. Cha Lino  /ra

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