Wakayama officials drown wild monkeys

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Wakayama officials drown wild monkeys

Unauthorized, unlicensed massacre possibly violated

wildlife protection law

 

WAKAYAMA (Kyodo) About 20 monkeys have been drowned by

town and tourism officials in Shirahama, Wakayama

Prefecture, because they had been pestering locals,

prefectural officials said Thursday.

 

The monkey massacre could be a violation of the

Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law because the

officials were not licensed to hunt and kill the

animals.

 

A local official said Shirahama had asked a licensed

local hunters association to cull the monkeys, which

had been living in and around a defunct monkey park.

However, three town employees have captured and killed

monkeys since July 2003.

 

Residents had complained that the monkeys were

frightening kids at nurseries and eating produce, the

official said.

 

Wakayama Prefecture has questioned the three officials

and a member of the Tsubaki hot spring tourism

association, which managed the monkey park, and is

considering pursuing criminal charges against them,

the prefectural officials said.

 

Unlicensed hunting carries a fine of up to 1 million

yen or a one-year prison term under the Wildlife

Protection and Hunting Law.

 

The four have admitted killing the monkeys without

obtaining permission from the prefecture, as required

by law, the officials said.

 

According to the prefecture, the tourism association

member has killed about 10 monkeys inside the park

over the past several years. The town officials have

killed nine monkeys outside the park since July 2003.

 

In each case, the monkeys were trapped in cages, then

drowned, the prefectural officials said.

 

" I decided to kill the monkeys on my own because feral

monkeys could harm humans, " the tourism association

member was quoted as saying.

 

The Japan Times: Sept. 3, 2004

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