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Thailand's monkey problem -

In Lopburi, Thailand, residents had long viewed monkeys as symbols of good fortune, coexisting peacefully with them. However, after the COVID-19 lockdown, and as the animals became increasingly desperate for food, they began to confront people directly, seizing bags, phones, and anything else they could find.

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Thailand's monkey problem -

Some residents started caging themselves indoors, adding metal bars to their windows and doors for extra protection. Many felt as though they were losing their freedom.

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Thailand's monkey problem -

When going outside, locals and police officers began carrying slingshots to scare the monkeys and prevent attacks.

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Thailand's monkey problem -

As complaints accumulated, authorities launched a sterilization campaign to manage the monkey population. After five months, the population was finally under control.

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Monkeys escape South Carolina research facility - On the evening of November 7, 2024, 43 macaque and capuchin monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina. Alpha Genesis is a center that has been specifically designed to carry out clinical trials on monkeys to find treatments for disorders such as brain disease.

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Monkeys escape South Carolina research facility -

The facility is based on Morgan Island, which has become known as Monkey Island due to the colony of 3,500 monkeys living there. Residents were warned to keep their doors and windows closed while police searched for the escaped primates. It took over a week to catch the majority of the monkeys, and a few stragglers remained at large as they were more suspicious of the traps being left for them. 

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Maurice the rooster - Maurice the rooster was famously sued over his morning crowing in France in 2019, as some neighbors in the rural village of Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron called it noise pollution. He was put on trial in a display that seemed to symbolize the divide between urban and rural France.

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Maurice the rooster - After appearing in court (without Maurice to ensure he did not disrupt proceedings) his owner told CNN, "I'm going to go see him, give him a kiss and tell him we're going to win this trial!" Sure enough, Maurice was victorious, as the court ruled that he could keep on crowing. 

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Parrot arrested in India - In 2015, an elderly woman allegedly called the police to report that a parrot was shouting insults at her, according to The Telegraph.

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Parrot arrested in India - The police detained the bird but after the woman was unable to get it to repeat the obscenities in front of them, they released it to the state's forestry department.

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Squirrel stalker - In 2015, a squirrel was reportedly arrested after police in Bottrop, Germany, received a call from a woman that it was aggressively stalking her, as shown by The Telegraph.

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Squirrel stalker - The police station discovered that the poor animal was misbehaving out of exhaustion and hunger. After feeding it some honey, they transferred the rodent to a rescue facility.

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Goat thief in Nigeria - According to the BBC, a goat was allegedly arrested in 2009 in Nigeria after being charged with robbery.

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Goat thief in Nigeria - Supposedly, a vigilante group called the police after suspecting that a person had performed witchcraft and transformed into the goat. The British news portal highlighted that the arrest was condemned by political activist groups as demonstrating the lack of education in the local police force.

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Pig receives death sentence - As shown on the The Independent, in 1494 a pig was arrested and sentenced to death by hanging in Clermont-lez-Montcornet, France, for allegedly killing a baby.

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Pig receives death sentence - The pig was said to have "strangled and defaced a young child in its cradle" and later found guilty by a judge, according to the publication.

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Cat breaks into prison - The BBC published a story about a Brazilian cat who was said to have been arrested on the grounds of a prison with contraband strapped to its body.

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Cat breaks into prison - Among the items were drill bits, files, a mobile phone and charger, and earphones. Officials were unsure as to whether the cat was being used to assist prisoners in an escape or to provide them with means of communication, but the cat was eventually taken to a rescue center.

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Monkey spies for the French? - According to the The Independent, the popular tale of the "Hartlepool" monkey dates back to the Napoleonic wars.

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Monkey spies for the French? - After a French ship's pet monkey washed up on the shores of Hartlepool, England, it was accused of being a French spy and sentenced to death by hanging.

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Monkey assaults passerby - According to The New York Times, in 1877, an organ grinder and his pet monkey Jimmy were arrested after a woman claimed that Jimmy assaulted and bit her.

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Monkey assaults passerby - The judge ruled that he didn't have the authority to imprison the monkey and sent both Jimmy and his owner home.

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Pakistani pigeon spy - According to the BBC, a pigeon was allegedly arrested in India in 2015 after being suspected of being a Pakistani spy.

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Pakistani pigeon spy - The bird had a message written on its body in Urdu in addition to a Pakistani phone number. Although X-rays didn't reveal anything more, the pigeon was kept in custody and logged in the police system as a suspected spy.

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Bear accused of honey theft - A bear was convicted of stealing honey from a beekeeper's farm in Macedonia in 2008, as reported by the BBC.

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Bear accused of honey theft - The bear was found guilty of theft and criminal damage, however, the judge was unable to detain the bear as it belonged to a protected species. The state was forced to pay for the damages it had caused to the beekeeper's property.

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Monkey spy - The Washington Post reported that in 2011, an Indian monkey suspected of being involved in espionage efforts was arrested after crossing the border into Pakistan.

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Monkey spy - The monkey was taken to a local zoo following the incident.

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Beaver destroys Christmas decoration store - In 2016, a beaver was apprehended in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, USA, for destroying a store full of Christmas decorations, according to WPIX News.

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Beaver destroys Christmas decoration store - “The suspect attempted to flee the area but was apprehended by Animal Control,” the sheriff's department posted on their Facebook page. The beaver was then sent to a wildlife rehab center.

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Donkey assault and battery - According to NPR, a donkey was supposedly arrested in 2008 in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on assault and battery charges.

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Donkey assault and battery - The donkey served three days in jail until its owner paid the medical bills of the victims.

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Monkey jail - Until the mid-2000s, misbehaving primates used to be detained in a monkey jail in India's northern Punjab region, according to an article on Mental Floss.

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Monkey jail -

Wild monkeys were imprisoned after attacking humans, ripping pieces of clothing off passersby, and stealing food, among other crimes.

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Monkey jail -

After the jail closed, it was transformed into a "reform school" for the disobedient primates.

See also: Genius animals with amazing jobs

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