Local authorities in a Japanese city have to use tranquilizer guns to deal with marauding monkeys that have injured 42 people in recent weeks.
Japanese macaques are common in large parts of the country and are a pest in some areas, eating crops and sometimes entering homes. But a series of monkey attacks in Yamaguchi, in the west of the country, has been unusual, with adults and children suffering injuries such as scratches and bites.
“The whole city of Yamaguchi is surrounded by mountains, and it’s not unusual to see monkeys,” said a city official from the agriculture department, who declined to be named. “But it’s rare to see so many attacks in such a short period of time.”
So far, the injuries have been largely minor, but authorities are resorting to tranquilizer guns after traps they set failed to catch any of the monkeys. “At first, only children and women were attacked. Recently, senior citizens and adult men have also been signed up,” the official said.
The city is not sure if the attacks are the work of multiple monkeys or a single aggressive individual. In some cases, intruders have entered homes by sliding screen doors open or through windows.
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Municipal officials and police have been patrolling the area since the first attacks around July 8, but have yet to capture any monkeys.
The story has hit the headlines in Japan in recent weeks, with people reporting regular invasions. “I heard crying from downstairs, so I hurried downstairs,” a father told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. “Then I saw a monkey hunched over my son.”