沒有遊客⋯⋯猴群「接管」泰國觀光古城

Planet of the Apes, Thailand Style

00:10 

They are smart. They know how to steal. They know how to find food. They know how to intimidate. Who are they? They are macaque monkeys. 

00:22

They have taken over the old city of Lopburi in Thailand. About 8,400 of them are in the center of the city. They roam neighborhoods in troupes. Dozens of businesses in Lopburi are closing. They include a music school, gold shop, barber, cell phone store and movie theatre. 

00:49

The Buddhist culture believes reducing the number of monkeys would disturb spiritual well-being. 

00:57

The monkeys were not always such a hazard. They attracted tourists. Buddhists thought feeding them was a good deed. Now times have changed.

1:11

Recently, the coronavirus made things worse. There are fewer tourists, which means that travelers give less food to the monkeys. Over the years, the monkeys moved into empty buildings. They trashed whatever they came across. They ripped antennas and windshield wipers off parked cars.

1:36

What happens when monkeys come into contact with humans? An observer said that years ago the monkeys were fewer, bigger and healthier. Their fur was shiny and thick. They kept to the temples, as well as the ruins of the ancient Khmer civilization.

1:58

Then tourists came with easy and unhealthy food. Along with bananas and citrus, the macaques feasted on junk food. An observer said, “The monkeys are never hungry. They are just like children who eat too much KFC.”

2:16

Compared with the monkeys of the forest, their urban counterparts have less muscle. They have more hypertension and blood disease. Their fur has thinned. Some have gone bald. With so much food available, they have more time to breed and to give birth. Their population has exploded.

2:41

 “These monkeys were here before us,” a man said. A juvenile Macaque tugged on the hem of his trousers demanding a treat. “We have to adapt to them, not the other way around.”

Vocabulary 

Intimidate (v): to scare or frighten someone, often to make someone do what one wants

Roam (v): to walk or travel around with no purpose

Disturb (v): to interrupt or interfere with a situation

Hazard (n): something dangerous

Urban (adj): about a city area

導讀人：Simon Scott

具備專業寫作背景，並透過寫作訓練學生精確表達的能力以及同時建構正確的句構和文法基礎。

本文收錄於英語島English Island 2021年1月號
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