Categories: General News

Japanese city alarmed by biting, clawing, attacking monkeys – The Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — People in a southwestern Japanese city have come under attack from monkeys that are trying to snatch babies, biting and clawing at flesh, and sneaking into nursery schools.
The attacks — on 58 people since July 8 — are getting so bad Yamaguchi city hall hired a special unit to hunt the animals with tranquilizer guns.
The monkeys aren’t interested in food, so traps haven’t worked. They have targeted mostly children and the elderly.
“They are so smart, and they tend to sneak up and attack from behind, often grabbing at your legs,” city official Masato Saito said Wednesday.
When confronted by a monkey, the instructions are: Do not look them in the eye, make yourself look as big as possible, such as by spreading open your coat, then back away as quietly as possible without making sudden moves, according to Saito.
A woman was assaulted by a monkey while hanging laundry on her veranda. Another victim showed bandaged toes. They were taken aback and frightened by how big and fat the monkeys were.
The monkeys terrorizing the community are Japanese macaque, the kind often pictured peacefully bathing in hot springs.
One male monkey, measuring 49 centimeters (1.6 foot) in height and weighing 7 kilograms (15 pounds), was caught Tuesday by the team with the tranquilizer gun. It was judged by various evidence to be one of the attacking monkeys and put to death.
But more attacks were reported after the capture.
No one has been seriously injured so far. But all have been advised to get hospital treatment. Ambulances were called in some cases.
Although Japan is industrialized and urban, a fair portion of land in the archipelago is mountains and forests. Rare attacks on people by a bear, boars or other wildlife have occurred, but generally not by monkeys.
No one seems to know why the attacks have occurred, and where exactly the troop of monkeys came from remains unclear.
“I have never seen anything like this my entire life,” Saito said.
___
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

source

InfoLair

Our primary beliefs and values include giving our readers quality material, disseminating information to encourage informed thinking, and supporting policies and ideas. We frequently curate or extract content from reliable online sources in order to uphold those ideals.

Recent Posts

Boston Public Library Hosting Several Drag Queen Makeup Tutorials For Teens This Month – NewBostonPost

Boston Public Library Hosting Several Drag Queen Makeup Tutorials For Teens This Month  NewBostonPost Source Read More

1 day ago

Miss World 2025: Krishnah Gravidez enters Top 8 – Inquirer.net

Miss World 2025: Krishnah Gravidez enters Top 8  Inquirer.netKrishnah Gravidez ends Miss World 2025 journey, finishes… Read More

3 days ago

Burger King just came out with a 'How to Train Your Dragon' meal with toys, how to order – Fall River Herald News

To read the full article click below: Burger King just came out with a 'How… Read More

4 days ago

DIY automation isn’t always a win: What mortgage lenders need to know – housingwire.com

To read the full article click below: DIY automation isn’t always a win: What mortgage… Read More

1 week ago

Butter Yellow Is Taking Over Makeup Tutorials on TikTok After Years of Trending in Fashion – L'OFFICIEL USA

Butter Yellow Is Taking Over Makeup Tutorials on TikTok After Years of Trending in Fashion  L'OFFICIEL… Read More

1 week ago

Four men guilty of Kim Kardashian jewellery heist in Paris – The Guardian

Four men guilty of Kim Kardashian jewellery heist in Paris  The GuardianRobbery gang guilty of Kim… Read More

2 weeks ago

This website uses cookies.