Attacks Continue After Japanese Monkey Killed

At least 56 people have now been injured by macaques in Yamaguchi
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 27, 2022 8:39 AM CDT
Attacks Continue After Japanese Monkey Killed
This image from a video shows a monkey loitering around a home in Yamaguchi, Japan, on Saturday.   (Anonymous via AP)

There's one less monkey terrorizing Yamaguchi, Japan, but the problem isn't solved. One of a group of Japanese macaques thought to be responsible for attacks on 56 people in recent weeks was euthanized Tuesday after it was found on the grounds of a high school. The male simian, about four years old and roughly 1.5 feet tall, was at first tranquilized, then euthanized once it was confirmed to be responsible for one attack, reports AFP. "Even after the capture, we've been getting reports of new attacks," a local official tells the outlet, confirming more than one monkey is to blame for the bites and scratches suffered. "Eyewitnesses describe monkeys of different sizes," the official adds.

More euthanizing will surely follow. The vice principal at a kindergarten where a 4-year-old was attacked tells the New York Times that monkeys continue to run rampant in the school's playground. Numbers of Japanese macaques, formerly a vulnerable species, bloomed with conservation efforts begun after World War II. Though some 25,000 are killed each year, the population continues to grow, raising the risk of conflicts with humans, in which hepatitis B and other diseases could be spread, per the Times. But it's "rare to see this many attacks in a short period of time," a city official tells the BBC. Some residents tell AFP they've begun carrying weapons during the hunt for the remaining animals. (More Japan stories.)

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