A ferocious troop of monkeys is terrorizing the Japanese city of Yamaguchi, prompting the city hall to hire a special animal-capture unit armed with tranquilizer guns on Wednesday. The animals have attacked 58 people since July 8, mostly targeting young children and the elderly. Some monkeys reportedly tried to steal babies. Yamaguchi is a rural town in southwestern Japan, and monkey attacks have not been an issue there in the past. “They are so smart and tend to hide and attack from behind, often grabbing your legs,” city official Masato Saito told The Associated Press. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life,” he added. NAVY CONVICT IN JAPAN CAUSES FAMILY OUTRAGE, US LAWMAKERS A Japanese snow monkey relaxes in a hot spring in the Jigokudani Valley in northern Nagano Prefecture in Japan Friday, February 10, 2012. The macaques descend from the forests to the warm waters of the hot springs in the mornings and return to the safety of the forests in the evenings. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) (AP2012) TAIWAN LOSES BIG SUPPORT WITH KILLING OF SHINZO ABE The special unit is tasked with singling out the most aggressive monkeys, tranquilizing them and then killing them. The team caught their first offense on Tuesday, a 15-pound, 1’6″ macaque that has now been euthanized. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It is unclear how large the monkey troop is. Saito says the city instructs citizens not to look the monkeys in the eye if they come into contact with one. He also recommended making yourself look as big as possible before slowly walking away. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
