Since the beginning of July, forty-two people have been injured by stray macaques in the western Japanese city of Yamaguchi, BTA reports.
The series of attacks forced local authorities to use hypodermic syringes in an attempt to calm the animals.
Macaques are widespread in the Japanese archipelago, where they are sometimes perceived as uninvited guests, climbing into homes or robbing crops. However, these small monkeys rarely attack humans directly.
However, in Yamagata, both children and adults have been attacked, scratched, and bitten in recent weeks.
“Yamaguti city is surrounded by mountains, so you can often see monkeys here,” said a representative of the local municipality. “It is also rare to see so many attacks in such a short period. Initially, only children and women were attacked. However, recently, elderly people and men have also become the targets of attacks,” he added.
Local authorities have been patrolling the area since July 8, when the monkeys began attacking, but so far no macaques have been caught. It remains unknown whether this is an isolated group of particularly aggressive animals or whether this behavior has become common among these primates.
These incidents made headlines in the Japanese media. Many of them cite Yamaguti residents who were victims of the attacks. “I heard crying on the first floor and rushed there. I saw a monkey climbing on top of my child,” said the father in an interview with “Mainity” newspaper.