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Volunteer veterinarians are preparing to operate on Lop Buri's City Shrine monkeys after finding that more than 1,000 are suffering with hernias.

Lop Buri Governor Jarupong Poldech yesterday visited the temporary clinic set up to treat the monkeys and found medical equipment was in short supply - call (081) 570 662 to make donations.

Concern for the Lop Buri monkeys' health has prompted plans for a public project that covers health checks and population control as well as providing the animals with water and food to aid their adaptation to urban surroundings.

The volunteer-project head, veterinarian Juthamas Supanam, said 2,000 monkeys were originally recorded in the area and around Manora Market but that number was rising steadily. Each hernia repair operation costs about Bt1,200.

The injuries are caused by the unnatural environment, which forces the monkeys to do a lot of high jumping, climbing and running, explained Juthamas.

Wildlife Conservation Office director Chatchawal Pidamkham of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department said he had not yet received any information on the monkeys but was worried over what he had learned from media reports. He promised to send more veterinarians to investigate the situation.