Japanese officials announced Wednesday that they killed a monkey amid a local crisis of primates attacking citizens.
State commissioned hunters shot the monkey with a tranquilizer gun Tuesday night near a lake at a high school in Yamaguchi, according to CBS News. The local agricultural division decided to put the animal down after it was determined that the monkey was behind several of the many reported attacks in the area, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: Wildlife Officials Tranquilize, Capture 500-Pound Bear Roaming Near College Town)
A monkey believed to be responsible for attacks against 56 people, including a baby girl, in the Japanese city of Yamaguchi was killed, the authorities said.
Human-macaque conflict has become more common as Japan’s macaque population grows.https://t.co/NMNcrzp4wv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 27, 2022
Japanese authorities are actively hunting for the animals with tranquilizer guns, as traps have proven useless since the monkeys are not easily baited by food, CBS noted. (RELATED: Monkey Found In Bulletproof Vest After Deadly Narco Shootout In Mexico)
As of Tuesday, the number of reported attacks was at 49 and rising, CBS News reported. The monkeys, macaques, mainly target children and the elderly. City nursery schools have experienced several cases where the intrusive monkeys will sneak inside and try to snatch babies, ABC News reported.
As a defense mechanism against the macaques, some locals are toting umbrellas and gardening tools in case of a run in with the primates, according to CBS News.
In addition to attacking people, the species is also known to feast on crops and enter homes and buildings, including schools. (RELATED: Two Bears Caught On Camera Brawling In Family Home)
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The high number of attacks is abnormal for the city, CBS News noted.