VOA · As It Is
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed4:132025-02-11public domain
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01Cambodian officials are warning visitors to the nation's famous Angkor Wat complex of buildings to stay away from wild monkeys.
02They say the animals have become aggressive and destructive.
03The officials blamed the behavior of the macaque monkeys on visitors to the area who feed the animals or interact with them.
04Social media influencers, many of them on YouTube, use video of the monkeys to grow their online followings, the officials added.
05The macaques are native to forest areas surrounding Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwestern Cambodia.
06The monkeys have become more destructive of property around the popular tourist area.
07Officials watching the animals told the French news agency AFP that too much human interaction, especially by people filming material to publish online, had changed the monkeys' behavior.
08The agency that operates Angkor Wat is the Apsara National Authority.
09It said in a statement that a small number of YouTubers repeatedly feed the monkeys to create videos.
10This changed the monkeys' natural behavior from being wild animals to domestic ones that are aggressive, steal food, and cause injuries among people.
11Agency spokesman Long Kosal told AFP that officials also worry about the monkeys causing damage to stonework that dates back centuries.
12On top of biting visitors, they have been climbing up and pushing stones down, damaging temples, he said.
13Some macaques had also damaged information signs.
14Local officials have urged tourists to leave the monkeys alone while visiting Angkor Wat.
15They added that they are currently looking for an appropriate solution to solve the problem.
16Angkor Wat was the capital of the Khmer Empire.
17Building work began on the complex about 900 years ago.
18It remains Cambodia's top tourist site and earns a lot of money for the developing nation.
19More than one million foreign tourists visited the area last year.
20Since becoming a World Heritage Site in 1992, Angkor Wat and the surrounding forest have received increased legal protection and security.
21Officials have expressed hope that wildlife sightings around Angkor Wat will increase visitor interest and support conservation education efforts.
22Last year, Cambodian officials announced a plan to carry out a census of monkeys in public areas to identify and take away those presenting a danger to humans.
23I'm Brian Lynn.
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