Marauding macaque making a monkey out of hunters
Nearly 60 people in the towns of Mishima and Susono near the scenic Izu peninsula and Mount Fuji have been chomped by the macaque since mid-August, mostly on the calves. Mishima now publishes a daily "biting monkey" alert on the town website, posting where the animal was most recently spotted and warning residents to keep doors and windows shut.
Fed up with the troublemaker, a group of about 130 officials - including police and zookeepers - conducted a hunt yesterday in hopes of capturing the animal. But the search proved fruitless.
"We ended up not being able to catch a monkey, or find one, today," an official said.