An unruly monkey sparked chaos as it shook up street lamps and climbed around apartment buildings.

The macaque was alone and without its troop when resident Juri Koike spotted it atop the lamp in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 1.

Footage shows the primate jumping up and down to rock the pole. It then went across the electric cables to sit on an electric post to keep away from onlookers.

Juri said: ‘Some of the wires had fallen to the ground because of the monkey. It could be hurt or create safety problems for the people.'

It had been reported to authorities but remained elusive as they tried to capture and return it to the forest.

Many provincial governments in Thailand have been lobbying for the removal of crab-eating macaques from the country's list of protected wildlife. The legal protections have been hampering efforts to curb the pillaging simians' ballooning numbers.

Thailand's growing population of primates has become a problem as the animals are known to damage property, such as cars and buildings. Unafraid of the consequences, they have also started stealing food from tourists and locals.

Meanwhile, the Thai government is taking steps to manage the monkey population in the country, including creating sanctuaries, mass sterilisation programs, educating the public on how to handle the animals properly, and relocating them to more suitable habitats.