Carry on my wayward monkey!
Monkey runs wild in Tokyo for 2 months
A wild monkey that abruptly appeared in Shibuya-ku in late April has since been roaming around downtown Tokyo to the frustration of police officers, metropolitan government officials said.
A monkey clings to an electric wire in Taito-ku, Tokyo, on June 8.
The government of Kita-ku, where the monkey appeared, installed a cage with food in a bid to trap the animal, but it was a raccoon dog that was caught.
Experts and local government officials have urged residents not to approach the animal.
"Don't chase the monkey or feed the animal," said Motoharu Ida, the chief monkey breeder at Ueno Zoo.
The Taito-ku government warned local residents not to approach the monkey if they spot the animal.
Three residents reported that they spotted a monkey in the Hiroo district of Shibuya-ku on April 30, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's public health section.
The monkey that three people reported having spotted is believed to be the same animal. The metropolitan government has received information that the monkey was seen in the busy Roppongi district of Minato-ku during the same period.
The monkey subsequently moved in a clockwise direction in the following month, traveling north from Shinjuku-ku to Bunkyo-ku and then to Kita-ku where it wandered around for another month. It then moved to Arakawa-ku early this month and then to Taito-ku.
Last Friday, the monkey was spotted jumping onto the 1.5-meter-high fence of well-known Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa-district of Taito-ku, and running on top of it. "I thought it was a cat," a temple official said.
Ueno Zoo's Ida said the animal is probably a male wild Japanese monkey, noting that it has a short tail and is acting alone. He added that the monkey appears to be comparatively young, 4 to 10 years old.
If captured, the metropolitan government will conduct a DNA test on the monkey to determine if it is wild. If it proves to be wild, the animal will be set free in a mountainous area.
The metropolitan government has not received any reports that a pet monkey has escaped. Those who keep Japanese monkeys are required to notify the metropolitan government under law. (Mainichi)
A wild monkey that abruptly appeared in Shibuya-ku in late April has since been roaming around downtown Tokyo to the frustration of police officers, metropolitan government officials said.
A monkey clings to an electric wire in Taito-ku, Tokyo, on June 8.
The government of Kita-ku, where the monkey appeared, installed a cage with food in a bid to trap the animal, but it was a raccoon dog that was caught.
Experts and local government officials have urged residents not to approach the animal.
"Don't chase the monkey or feed the animal," said Motoharu Ida, the chief monkey breeder at Ueno Zoo.
The Taito-ku government warned local residents not to approach the monkey if they spot the animal.
Three residents reported that they spotted a monkey in the Hiroo district of Shibuya-ku on April 30, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's public health section.
The monkey that three people reported having spotted is believed to be the same animal. The metropolitan government has received information that the monkey was seen in the busy Roppongi district of Minato-ku during the same period.
The monkey subsequently moved in a clockwise direction in the following month, traveling north from Shinjuku-ku to Bunkyo-ku and then to Kita-ku where it wandered around for another month. It then moved to Arakawa-ku early this month and then to Taito-ku.
Last Friday, the monkey was spotted jumping onto the 1.5-meter-high fence of well-known Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa-district of Taito-ku, and running on top of it. "I thought it was a cat," a temple official said.
Ueno Zoo's Ida said the animal is probably a male wild Japanese monkey, noting that it has a short tail and is acting alone. He added that the monkey appears to be comparatively young, 4 to 10 years old.
If captured, the metropolitan government will conduct a DNA test on the monkey to determine if it is wild. If it proves to be wild, the animal will be set free in a mountainous area.
The metropolitan government has not received any reports that a pet monkey has escaped. Those who keep Japanese monkeys are required to notify the metropolitan government under law. (Mainichi)
posted by Taco Mike | 2:14 PM
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