Tokushima, Feb 04 (News On Japan) - A series of monkey attacks on residents have been reported in Tokushima City since January, with cases involving elementary and junior high school students prompting heightened police patrols.
In December last year, a monkey was captured on video in a residential area in Tokushima City. A resident attempted to scare it away by banging on a window, but the monkey shook a tree violently before slowly retreating. Since last month, multiple sightings of the animal have been reported, along with cases of direct attacks.
In one instance, a man jogging in the area had a monkey latch onto his leg. Another incident occurred near an elementary school, where a young boy walking to school was grabbed from behind by the monkey.
While no monkey attacks were reported last year, 19 cases have already been recorded since the first incident on January 2nd. The attacks include biting and gripping victims’ legs. In response, local police have increased patrols around schools.
“I don’t know where it might appear from, so it’s really scary,” said one resident. Another added, “I’m worried about the children. I’ve even stopped taking my usual walks because it’s too frightening.”
While investigating the monkey’s whereabouts, a resident reported seeing it about an hour earlier. “I saw the monkey in front of my house,” he said. He quickly moved away and was not harmed, but later discovered scratches on his car’s windshield, believed to have been left by the monkey’s claws.
Another woman recounted a close encounter on her way home from work. “I felt something wrapping around my leg as I was walking. When I looked down, I realized it was a monkey and managed to shake it off. It ran away but then chased after me again, grabbing onto my legs once more and leaving scratch marks.”
Tokushima City has increased patrols and set up traps to capture the monkey. “We installed this trap because the monkey passed through here before. It has a bright orange color to make it easily visible,” an official explained. “We check it daily, but so far, there’s no sign of the monkey being caught.”
Experts believe a single monkey is responsible for the attacks. “It’s rare for a monkey to enter a city and directly interact with humans in this way. It’s likely the same individual,” one specialist said. “It may have become accustomed to humans after picking up food they dropped or being fed, leading to these incidents.”
Authorities are urging residents not to approach the monkey if they encounter it. “The boundary between human and wildlife habitats is becoming increasingly blurred, as seen with bears as well. People should never feed wild animals or leave food behind,” said a local expert.
Tokushima Prefecture advises residents to avoid direct eye contact, slowly back away, and never run if they come across the monkey.
Source: KTV NEWS
