Authorities in Japan’s Yamaguchi city are stepping up measures to confront marauding monkeys that have injured at least 42 people in recent weeks, AFP reports.
To combat the monkey menace (specifically Japanese Macaques), local authorities are turning to tranquilizer guns, after traps they set failed to snare any of the pesky primates. Both adults and children report suffering wounds including scratches and bites.
“All of Yamaguchi city is surrounded by mountains and it’s not rare to see monkeys,” said one city official from the agricultural department, adding “But it’s rare to see this many attacks in a short period of time.”
“Initially only children and women were attacked. Recently elderly people and adult men have been targeted too,” the official added.
The city isn’t even sure if the attacks are the work of multiple monkeys or a single aggressive individual. The intruders have in some cases entered by sliding open screen doors, or entering through windows.
City officials and police have been patrolling the area since the first attacks around July 8, but have yet to snare any monkeys.
The story has made headlines in Japan in recent weeks, with local residents reporting regular invasions.
“I heard crying coming from the ground floor, so I hurried down,” one local told the Mainichi Shimbun Daily. “Then I saw a monkey hunching over my child.“
They better get a handle on this, and fast… as we all know what happens when simians tilt the balance of power.
