A total of 47 local residents were present at the meeting on Monday, held at “Wat Khao Rang” (Rang Hill Temple), in Phuket Town.
The local residents made their opinion clear for wildlife officials to take steps to control the number of the wild monkeys living on Rang Hill, but asked to let the monkeys stay there.
As with the previous public-feedback meetings (see stories here and here), as a simple way to gauge public opinion on two key issues attendees were asked to vote by a show of hands on two questions:
1) Do you want to the population of the monkeys to be controlled?
2) Do you want you the monkeys to be relocated?
A total of 44 people supported that “population control” measures be taken, while three residents disagreed.
But only seven people voted to have the monkeys moved; 30 people disagreed and 10 people abstained from casting a vote.
At a public-feedback meeting held last Friday (May 25), Phuket Town residents also called for wildlife officials to take steps to control the number of the wild monkeys living on Toh Sae Hill in the heart of Phuket Town, but asked to let the monkeys stay there. (See story here.)
However, at the first public-feedback meeting, held at the Chalerm Phrakiet Rama 9 Hall on Soi Tah Jeen, Rassada, on Tuesday last week (May 22), 66 of the 68 local residents presented voted in support of “population control” measures of the monkeys, and 55 of the 68 people present voted in support of having the monkeys moved. (See story here.)
Regarding the Koh Siray meeting held last Thursday (May 24), the senior official who attended the meeting told The Phuket News, “Because it was raining very hard, no residents turned up. Actually, the only people present were reporters.
“As we could not use that meeting to gauge the opinion of any of the local residents, we will just use the forms completed and returned by residents so far and we will hold another public-feedback meeting on Koh Siray at a later date.” (See story here.)
The votes cast at the meeting and the actual feedback forms completed and submitted by local residents will be used in deciding what local wildlife officials will do with the ever-growing populations of wild monkeys in Phuket.
The results of the feedback questionnaires will be announced on June 30, Pongchart Chouehorm, Director of the Natural and Wildlife Education Centre at Khao Phra Thaew Non-Hunting Area in Thalang, explained last week. (See story here.)