Thousands of monkeys have overrun a city in Thailand with police saying they are powerless to control them.
There is a growing population of the primates in Lopburi, a city 150km from Bangkok. There are at least 8400 primates in the area, with most concentrated in just a few blocks.
The New York Times reports locals now leave valuables at home and are fearful of being attacked.
The monkeys have decimated parts of the local economy and forced a number of businesses to close in recent years.
Local police officer Nirad Pholngeun said he has been using a slingshot to keep monkeys away but - "It's hopeless".
"Within a blink of an eye there are more monkeys. So many babies," he said.
Pholngeun said he has been stationed in the same area for five years and has watched their population grow with alarm.
The monkeys have also been gorging on junk food including coconut yogurt, strawberry fizzy drinks and brightly coloured snack packs.
The director of a local wildlife conservation department Narongporn Doodduem says the monkeys have less muscle than their forest counterparts and are more susceptible to hypertension and blood disease.
"The monkeys are never hungry, just like children who eat too much KFC," they said.
Local wildlife officials have begun sterilising the monkeys to try and control their numbers.
More than 300 animals underwent surgery in June, and 200 more will be sterilised in August.
But the monkeys are growing increasingly clever and evading capture, the New York Times reported.
On the first day of the June sterilisation run, the monkey catchers wore camouflage-printed uniforms and lured the animals into cages with food. But by the second day, the monkeys knew to avoid them.
The catchers then had to switch between uniforms including pretending they were holidaymakers.
"The monkeys are smart. They remember," said Narongporn.
The Sun reported the primates have now based themselves in a local cinema where they also leave the dead bodies of other monkeys.
Any human who attempts to enter is reportedly attacked.
