Wild? They're furious! Rival gangs of wild monkeys fight each other in front of shocked drivers in Thailand

This is the astonishing moment two rival gangs of wild monkeys fought each other in front of shocked drivers in Thailand.   

The monkeys are normally well fed by visitors but a Covid-19 third wave lockdown has led to a renewed food shortage for the animals in Lopburi, a city in central Thailand.

They were seen squaring off in front of the ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple before one group were chased away onto a nearby road.

Footage shows how the two rival troops then faced-off at the busy junction while terrified motorists waited in their cars for more than four minutes.

Footage shows how the two rival troops then faced-off at the busy junction while terrified motorists waited in their cars for more than four minutes

The troops are normally well fed by visitors but a Covid-19 third wave lockdown has lead to a renewed food shortage for the animals in Lopburi, central Thailand

There was a clear gap between the two groups but a few brave monkeys jumped in to the middle to assert their authority and provoke their opponents before they began wrestling each other.

Onlooker Khun Itiphat said: 'I was in a building near the temple when I heard the monkeys squealing. There were so many of them all stood together.

'I could see they were having an argument. Then they all ran onto the road and began wrestling. There were so many of them.'

One of the troops is believed to roam the grounds of the ancient temple - a popular tourist attraction where locals feed them - while the other is from an abandoned cinema.

The two rival gangs blocked the road for around four minutes as people were forced to wait in their cars for minutes

A similar mass monkey brawl erupted in March last year when two gangs from opposite sides of a railway track began squabbling over pieces of food.

The town - around 100 miles north of the capital Bangkok - was visited regularly by tourists before the pandemic who would feed the infamous population of monkeys endless sugary treats.

Despite domestic tourists and locals feeding the monkeys, a stricter lockdown which started earlier this month with travel bans and more people staying in their homes has caused the monkeys to go hungry again.

Officials have also tried to control the number of monkeys by rolling out mass sterilisation programs.

Supakarn Kaewchot, a government veterinarian, said: 'The monkeys are so used to having tourists feed them and the city provides no space for them to fend for themselves.

'With the tourists gone, they've been more aggressive, fighting humans for food to survive. They're invading buildings and forcing locals to flee their homes.'

Lopburi, around 95 miles north of the capital Bangkok, has a large population of wild monkeys that roam the streets and buildings. Locals believe they are lucky and pay respect to them with a festival every year.

However, the monkeys have often gone hungry since the pandemic started and tourists were unable to visit the country to feed the animals.