Rogue monkeys are wreaking havoc in southwestern Japan,
where over 50 attacks have taken place.
They've been reported in just the past few weeks and
the attacks involve a specific kind of monkey, they're known as the Macaque.
And the attacks on 58 people since July 8th are getting so bad, Yamaguchi
city hall hired a special unit to hunt the animals with tranquilizer guns.
The monkeys aren't even interested in food, so traps have not worked,
they have targeted mostly children and the elderly, which is not cool.
They are so smart that they tend to sneak up and attack from behind,
often grabbing at your legs, city official Masato Saito said.
>> I love them, they're such a vibe.
>> [LAUGH] The monkeys?
>> Yeah, good for them.
>> I kind of appreciate how strategic they are in their attacks.
>> Yes. >> They're gonna go for the feet, but
what I want to know is what's really- >> And the elderly and
the children because they're the weaker ones.
>> God, it's terrible, it's terrible.
It's not good.
I'm not laughing about it.
So, if you're wondering like, well, what kind of monkeys are we talking about here,
are they the cute little fuzzy monkeys?
>> The Macaque. >> It's the Macaque.
>> The Macaque. >> Right?
Not the cutest monkey,
let's just keep it real. Not the cutest [CROSSTALK],
>> Those are the ones.
No, those ones scare me.
I thought it was the little ones we
were seeing photos of earlier. Are those the ones where you can,
maybe those are baboons, where they have those big pink butts.
>> Yeah, yeah, there are a lot of
monkeys and I think chimps that have
questionable butt region [LAUGH]. >> Yeah.
Really [CROSSTALK] about monkeys' butts,
she's studying. >> But anyway, let's get to some more
details about what's happening. And look, the assaults are not funny, and
I hope they do get to the bottom of this. I hate when animals get
killed after they attack people. I wish there was a better
solution because I get it. It's an unsafe situation and
the animals should be taken out of public life to keep people safe.
>> We're encroaching on them, that's why
they're attacking [CROSSTALK] This is why we're having all these pandemics as
well too because we keep encroaching in wildlife areas and giving us diseases
that we normally wouldn't have. And
then now you got the disease of Macaque attacks [LAUGH].
>> I mean, yeah, you gotta be careful with the Macaque.
You might think it's cute, you might get some pleasure from petting the Macaque.
But maybe the Macaque doesn't want to be pet, maybe the Macaque bites back.
[CROSSTALK] A woman was assaulted.
[LAUGH] >> Sorry.
>> A woman was assaulted by a monkey while hanging laundry on her veranda.
Another victim showed bandage toes.
They were taken aback and frightened by how big and fat the monkeys were.
>> [LAUGH]. >> But now I kinda get why
they're not interested in food, they seem well-fed, they're doing well.
>> Also, don't body-shame the Macaques, and maybe they won't come and attack you.
>> Yeah, good point, good point [CROSSTALK].
And then by the way, Emma, have you ever been attacked by any animal?
Dog, cat, anything?
>> No, no, but my stepsister was attacked by a Pitbull, and
it was really, really bad not to be a Debbie Downer, but yes,
I've never been attacked by an animal, so I guess I'm deriving
more pleasure from this story than I probably should [LAUGH].
>> I got bitten by a dog when I was a kid, but
that clearly didn't have an effect on my perspective on canines.
I love my dog, probably more than I love myself, so it is what it is.
>> We kow this.
>> Yes.