Macaques are common in the Japanese archipelago, where they are sometimes seen as a nuisance, breaking into homes or preying on crops. Although it is unusual for these little monkeys to attack humans directly, children and adults have been scratched or bitten by these animals in the past few weeks.
“The whole of Yamaguchi is surrounded by mountains, so it’s not uncommon to come across in monkeys, “an employee of the Japanese city council told AFP on Monday. However, he noted that” there are so many attacks in such a short period is not uncommon, “adding:” At first, the attacks targeted only children and women. But recently older men and adults have also been targeted. “
Local authorities have patrolled since the first attacks on July 8, but have so far failed to capture any of the macaques. It is not yet known whether the attacks are related to an isolated aggressive group of monkeys, or whether they reflect behaviors that have spread among these primates.
These incidents made headlines media Japanese, who reported numerous testimonies of Yamaguchi residents who had fallen victim to it. “I heard crying on the ground floor, so I ran to the scene and there I saw a monkey attacking my baby,” a householder recently told the local newspaper Mainichi.