People who are attacked by wild monkeys can now claim compensation from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, following an attack on a woman in Lop Buri on Wednesday.
The director-general of the department, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, announced today that the Natural Resources and Environment minister, Patcharawat Wongsuwan, has directed him to assist the victim, Arikanta Kanjanasinmetha, by including people attacked by monkeys in the eligibility for compensation, similar to those attacked by wild elephants or guars.
According to the regulation on compensation payments, if a victim dies or is disabled by the attack, their immediate family can receive Bt100,000 in compensation.
If injured, the compensation will be equal to the actual medical expenses but not exceeding Bt30,000, along with a daily allowance of Bt300 if the victim needs to take time off for medical treatment as advised by their doctor.
In an effort to prevent further attacks by monkeys in Lop Buri, Atthaphon stated that additional lighting will be installed in areas where the monkeys seek shelter so that people can see them, and more warning signs will also be put up.
Reports suggest that the macaque monkey that attacked the woman is believed to be part of a splinter group that broke away from the main group due to a shortage of food.
Atthaphon mentioned that he will also confer with the Lop Buri provincial administration on how to better control the hundreds of monkeys and prevent them from harassing or attacking people in the area.
