News Monkey business: coping with Japan's aggressive simians

[thomas]

Over the past three weeks, a gang of macaque monkeys made national and international headlines by terrorising the inhabitants of Yamaguchi City. They attacked some 50 adults and children but did not cause severe injuries. The monkeys have mainly targeted children and women, though officials say attacks on men and the elderly have become more frequent. Two male macaques, reported to be the main perpetrators of the attacks, which saw the simians enter private residences and school buildings, were caught and "neutralised". Whether this spells the end of the monkey business remains to be seen.

"They are so smart, and they tend to sneak up and attack from behind, often grabbing at your legs," city official Masato Saito tells the AP. "I have never seen anything like this my entire life." Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), also called snow monkeys, are well-known for their habit of bathing in hot springs during the winter. They typically live in troops of about 20 to 30, but the groups can sometimes have more than 100 individuals. These monkeys were once considered endangered in Japan, but their population has rebounded, and they are now listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The animals can live about 22 to 27 years. Male Japanese macaques weigh about 25 pounds while females are about 18.5 pounds.

City in Japan Under Siege by Marauding Monkeys

Macaques have attacked more than four dozen people in less than a month

www.smithsonianmag.com

Japanese city alarmed by biting, clawing, attacking monkeys

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.

apnews.com

A Marauding Monkey Was Killed in Japan. Others Will Take Its Place. (Published 2022)

As Japan’s macaque population grows, clashes with humans are becoming more frequent. More than 50 people were injured by recent monkey attacks in one western city.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Grandpa Frank]

 

[johnnyG]

I really enjoyed the Rise, Dawn, and War series -- really well done.

 

[thomas]

A few days ago, a monkey hunt went wrong when a woman temporarily lost consciousness after she was accidentally hit by a tranquillizer dart in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture. She was safe, so it's ok to smirk.

Fuji Municipal Government employees and a contractor were preparing a tranquilizer gun near JR Fujikawa Station to capture Japanese macaques when it accidentally fired and a hypodermic needle-tipped tranquilizer dart hit the left arm of a woman nearby at around 3 p.m. on Aug. 29. She was at the scene to tell the city workers about a monkey sighting. The woman was rendered unconscious, but recovered her senses about two hours later. Her life was not in danger, officials said. Shizuoka Prefectural Police and the municipal government are investigating the detailed cause of the accident.

Woman in Japan knocked unconscious by accidental tranquilizer gun discharge - The Mainichi

SHIZUOKA -- A woman temporarily lost consciousness after she was accidentally hit by a tranquilizer dart for monkeys in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, on

mainichi.jp