SIEM REAP: The APSARA Authority has urged the public to stop feeding and taking pictures of monkeys for business and to allow the monkeys to live naturally without human dependence.

The APSARA Authority made this request on Wednesday, 22 February 2023, after there were several incidents where monkeys were disturbed by tourists and, as a result, sometimes bit the guests as well.

The head of a travel agency at Angkor Wat, Lek Kimlin, confirmed that these incidents between tourists and monkeys were happening frequently and explained that monkeys will try to snatch bags or items from tourists. If the monkeys cannot get what they want, they sometimes bite guests. The monkeys can also be found digging for food in trash bins in the surrounding area, which negatively affects hygiene and the environment.

Meanwhile, the head of a travel agency in Angkor Thom, Sean Bandith, has also observed monkeys causing nuisance and risk to tourists around Angkor Thom. He said there may be hundreds of monkeys around the temple, and many have bitten guests, snatched items such as mobile phones, clung to temple structures and damaged tourist facilities. In addition, the monkeys, who he said are often in a bad mood, have also frequently jumped and clung on to cars, breaking windshields.

The number of monkeys living in the Angkor area has increased significantly with the change of natural life, and as wild monkeys have more contact with humans, grow familiar with their presence and increasingly stop going into the forest to scavenge for food. The monkeys often instead wait to receive food from tourists, and sometimes also snatch food from tourists, posing various risks.