Human Interest

Nearly 40 injured in monkey attacks in southwestern Japan

Tokyo, Jul 25 (EFE).- Some 39 people were injured in Yamaguchi prefecture, in southwestern Japan, due to attacks by wild Japanese macaques in recent weeks, a local government spokeswoman told EFE on Monday.

Twenty eight women and 11 men, including children and minors, have been attacked since Jul. 8 and suffered bites and scratches, the source said, adding that authorities are patrolling the area.

Since the weekend, police are also using tranquilizer darts to capture the animals, given the recent increase in attacks.

A teenager said a monkey had bitten her leg, while another macaque allegedly entered a woman’s apartment on the fourth floor, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said.

Japanese macaques can be seen frequently in various parts of the country, especially mountainous areas, and often eat crops or enter houses for food, although attacks on humans are rare. EFE

emg-yk/lds

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