Thailand's Annual Monkey Banquet Festival in Lopburi.

Monkeys are waiting to be fed during the annual Monkey Banquet held inside an enclosure at Lopburi Zoo in Lopburi, Thailand, on November 24, 2024. The annual gala is being organized since 1989 by Lopburi's entrepreneur Yongyuth Kitwatananusont, offering all-you-can-eat fruits, vegetables, and desserts for monkeys to honor the long-tailed macaques and attract tourists to visit the town to promote tourism. According to the Wildlife Department, more than 2,000 urban monkeys are being captured in 2024 by authorities to control the monkey population after growing complaints from residents that the macaques are marauding food, frequently confronting residents, and causing accidents, as well as their properties, assets, and the ancient city being overrun and damaged by the monkeys.