“Urban Disease” Photograph

On a hill just outside the town of Bang Saen a troop of macaque monkeys lives by the roadside (and thereby gets into this “street photography” blog). Over the last decade or so they have become an increasingly popular tourist attraction with several vendors earning their living through selling food to tourists to give to the monkeys. Over this period the monkey population has exploded from a couple of hundred to well over a thousand.

When I visited them, it struck me how urbanized the troop seemed to be even in their wooded setting. Compared to a truly wild-living troop they are more sedentary, live in a denser population and have a diet that includes soft drinks and lots of carbohydrates. This old guy is one example of the result.

Photograph taken at Khao Sam Muk, Bang Saen, Chonburi, Thailand