Phnom Penh, Feb 4 (IANS): Cambodia's APSARA National Authority (ANA) said on Tuesday that troops of monkeys are causing problems for tourists and temples at the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Siem Reap province.

The ANA, which is a government agency responsible for managing, safeguarding and preserving the Angkor Archaeological Park, said the number of monkeys at the park has seen a significant rise recently, as some primates have stolen food and caused injuries to people.

"Because a handful of individuals, who produce video content for personal gain, have fed those monkeys regularly, (and) this has transformed the natural life of monkeys from wild into domestic animals, which are ferocious, stealing food and causing injuries to humans," the ANA said in a news release.

The ANA renewed its call on people and tourists to stay away from monkeys, stop feeding, and avoid touching or playing with them, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the ANA.

"The APSARA National Authority will continue to cooperate with the relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to find out appropriate solutions to avoid various problems caused by monkeys in the Angkor Park," the news release said

It is estimated that there could be hundreds of monkeys at the Angkor Thom, one of the temples in the Angkor Park.

Those well-fed monkeys seem to be familiar to humans, as they no longer enter the forest in search of food, but instead wait for food from humans and sometimes snatch food from tourists.

The 401-square-km Angkor Archaeological Park is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

The ancient site, the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian country, attracted 1.02 million international tourists in 2024, generating a gross revenue of $47.8 million from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.