Monkey attacks leave dozens bitten and scratched in Japanese city

Wild monkeys have attacked at least 45 people in Japan, with victims ranging from toddlers to the elderly, officials have said.

Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys, have been crawling through house windows and striking from behind in and around the city of Yamaguchi, CNN reports.

People have been bitten on their necks and stomachs, and scratched on their hands and legs, but so far none have reported any serious injuries, Masato Saito, an official from the Yamaguchi city hall said, according to CNN.

"Recently, we've heard of cases where the monkey has clung onto a person's leg and once that person tries to get them off, they get bitten - or they've gotten sprung on from behind," he said.

Earlier attacks occurred when at least one monkey entered houses and a school through open windows and doors.

"I heard crying coming from the ground floor, so I hurried down," one father told the Mainichi Shimbun daily.

"Then I saw a monkey hunching over my child."

But since people have been told to keep those shut, more people are being attacked outside, Mr Saito said.

Officials are reportedly unsure if the attacks are the work of one or several monkeys.

And police are turning to tranquiliser guns to deal with the problem, after they failed to catch the monkeys with traps and and nets.

Macaques are rare, according to the city's officials. "This is a very unusual occurrence; they have never come into an urban area like this before and assaulted this many people," Mr Saito said, according to CNN. Macaques are native to Japan, and commonly seen across most of the country.

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