Wildlife officers have caught more than 400 wild monkeys as the animals' population spiralled out of control in central Thailand.

Authorities are battling to curb the rising numbers of crab-eating macaques by catching the primates at the Khao Nang Phanthurat Forest Park in Phetchaburi province.

Footage shows vets neutering dozens of the simians during the cull, which has been scheduled from June 16 to 22. Officers said they also conducted random health checks on the monkeys to gather data for preventing zoonotic diseases.

The initiative comes after Phetchaburi Governor Nattachai Nampoonsuksan convened wildlife agencies and local officials in April to discuss the monkey overpopulation problem.

Nattachai said the animals posed a threat to safety, health, livelihood, and tourism.

He said: 'Monkeys are respected, they bring good luck, and they are a tourist attraction but we must control their population. If we allow them to continue reproducing, they will become a menace and dangerous. It is already very difficult to control them.'

Though beloved by tourists, the macaques have become a menace in recent years as they continued to multiply thanks to their raging libido.

The marauding troops have begun encroaching on residential areas, sometimes snatching food and valuables like jewellery and phones from unsuspecting victims.

Authorities said there were around 1,000 to 1,500 macaques in each district in the province, with Mueang Phetchaburi District alone having more than 3,000 macaques.

The Protected Areas Regional Office 3, Phetchaburi branch has conducted a population survey of the macaques to identify suitable habitats for them.

Similarly, Lopburi, dubbed the City of Monkeys, has been overrun with macaques, with officials scrambling for solutions to curb the population boom.

On June 12, Lopburi Governor Amphon Ungkapakornkul held a meeting to discuss possible measures for controlling the monkeys, including sterilisation and relocation.

A 2020 monkey population survey in Thailand showed that a total of 9,324 monkeys, predominantly crab-eating macaques, were identified in 34 different locations across six districts of Lopburi.