Monkeys

The outlet says the primates are “trying to snatch babies, biting and clawing at flesh, and sneaking into nursery schools.”

but according to sources, the furry animals aren’t seeking food from residents. The monkeys are targeting kids and the elderly. On Wednesday (July 27), city official Masato Saito said, “They are so smart, and they tend to sneak up and attack from behind, often grabbing at your legs.”

The animals have been identified as Japanese macaques. While normally seen bathing in hot springs or taking pictures with tourists, these primates seem to have had it with people. A woman was reportedly assaulted by one of the monkeys as she hung laundry on her veranda. Another person suffered from injuries to their foot, according to The Washington Post. In some instances, ambulances have been called. The primates are typically just under two feet tall and weigh around 25 pounds.

Some residents have reported multiple incursions in their homes as the primates gain access by sliding screen doors or entering through open windows. "I heard crying coming from the ground floor, so I hurried down," one father told Japanese press. "Then I saw a monkey hunching over my child."

A member of a gang of monkeys that has terrorised residents of a Japanese city for weeks has been caught and killed, officials say.

The macaques have injured almost 50 people in Yamaguchi. The male primate was found in the grounds of a high school on Tuesday evening by specially commissioned hunters. It was tranquilised and later put down when it was identified as one of the animals responsible for the attacks.

Initially, only children and women were attacked," they said, adding: "Recently, elderly people and adult men have been targeted too."

Reports include a four-year-old girl scratched after a monkey broke into her apartment and one animal entering a kindergarten classroom.

This has led to "serious conflicts" with people, according to research from Yamagata University. Changes in human behaviour and forest environments may be one cause.