Attacking 20 Residents Including A 10-month-old Baby, A Wild Monkey Is Being Hunted By City Authorities In Japan

Illustration of monkeys in Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/decade_null)

JAKARTA - Authorities and residents of a small town in western Japan are hunting for a wild monkey that has terrorized the city, breaking into houses and then biting and clawing at local residents.

About 20 people in Yamaguchi's Ogori area have been attacked by the monkeys since July 8, with most suffering minor injuries, according to the city administration's office, quoted by CNN, July 20.

The youngest victim was a 10-month-old baby girl, whose leg was clawed by a monkey after entering through a screen door on the first floor of her home.

On Tuesday night, the monkey attacked an elementary school, biting a 10-year-old boy in the arms and both hands, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The attack struck two more people on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning: a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 80s, both of whom were outside the house at the time.

In another recent attack, the monkey bit a man who was drying clothes outside and a woman whose balcony screen door was open. The monkey also attacked two of the toddler's brothers after climbing into their house through a window, NHK reported.

Authorities have not confirmed what type of monkey was responsible for the attack, but say the area is inhabited by macaques, also known as Japanese snow monkeys.

Monkeys can be found in parks in some areas of Japan, often scavenging for food from visitors.

In light of the series of attacks, police stepped up patrols in the area, urging the public to close their windows while the hunt continued.

A spokesman for the city office said the Ogori area is mostly residential, and it is very rare for wild monkeys to leave the forest and harm humans.