Local authorities in the Japanese city of Yamaguchi said Monday they are turning to tranquilizer weapons to crack down on marauding monkeys that have injured 42 people in recent weeks.
Japanese macaques are common across much of the country and are a pest in some areas, eating crops and even entering homes.
But a spate of monkey attacks in the western Japan city was uncommon, with adults and children suffering wounds including scratches and bites.
“The whole city of Yamaguchi is surrounded by mountains and it is not uncommon to see monkeys,” an official from the Department of Agriculture told AFP, without giving her name.
“But you rarely see so many attacks in a short period of time.”
The injuries have been largely mild so far, but authorities are now turning to stun guns after the traps they set failed to catch any of the pesky primates.
“Initially, only children and women were attacked. Recently, elderly people and adult men have also been attacked,” the official said.
The city isn’t even sure if the attacks are the work of multiple monkeys or a single aggressive individual. In some cases, the intruders got in by sliding open screen doors or through windows.
City 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 made headlines in Japan in recent weeks, with local residents reporting regular invasions.
“I heard crying from the ground floor, so I rushed downstairs,” a local father told the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
“Then I saw a monkey bending over my child.”
#Marauding #monkeys #injure #Japanese #city
