Posts Tagged ‘monkeys’

Video: Marauding monkeys terrorize Karuizawa

Tokyo residents might be enjoying the idea of a lone monkey wandering their city, but for people out in Karuizawa, marauding monkeys are a serious problem. Here’s a clip from a news report that aired yesterday about gangs of monkeys destroying crops, damaging trees, and generally annoying humans:

The report mentioned that BB guns were being used to scare away monkeys, but a few old men with BB guns doesn’t make much of a lasting impact [see this classic 2006 Japan Probe post for video of them in action]. Perhaps Karuizawa should focus more on the use monkey-chasing dogs?

Fat monkeys in Osaka struggle to lose weight

Remember the disgustingly overweight monkeys we posted about back in May? FTV aired a follow up story about them yesterday, checking on the status of their diet. Below is a video embed of the report with a summary in English:

• Two months have passed since the 50 Macaca mulatta monkeys at Ohama park in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture started a special diet of extra-healthy vegetables, grain, and small fish. Have there been any noticeable results?
• After some shots of the fat animals, nicknamed “metabolic monkeys” by the Japanese media, an old man explains that they became so fat because visitors to the park fed them too much. He confesses that he himself contributed to the problem. He had never expected that the monkeys would become so overweight.
• Because the monkeys are kept at a park, not a zoo, there are fewer barriers or staff preventing them from throwing food to the monkeys. The park has put up more signs telling visitors not to feed the monkeys, and has also cut the amount of calories in their daily food by 60%.
• When the monkeys are fed, they go for the high calorie bananas and sweet potatoes first, leaving healthier veggies and grains. After all the good stuff is gone, they finally eat the remaining healthy food.
• The official in charge of the park claims that it really looks like the monkeys have started to loose weight since April, but photographs show little difference. Regular visitors to the park don’t think the diet is working, and one man even thinks the monkeys have become even fatter!
• How could the diet be failing? The park employee in charge of cleaning the monkey area shows that he’s been finding candy wrappers and peanut shells. Somebody’s been throwing food to the monkeys!
• Since signs don’t seem to be stopping visitors from throwing food to the monkeys, the park is now planning to erect a mesh barrier to block food throwers.

More details on the monkeys diet can be found in the Sankei Shinbun (Japanese).

Overweight Monkeys In Osaka

About 50 Macaca mulatta monkeys at Ohama park in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture have been so overfed by tourists they are now massively overweight.

A local report in April said that about 30 per cent of the animals are so huge they struggle to get around their 420-square-meter enclosure.

See the full gallery of overweight monkey pictures here.