Image source, Getty ImagesPolice in Japan are trying to stem the tide of monkey attacks by using tranquiliser guns.
42 people have been injured in the last few weeks in the city.
Japanese macaques are being blamed for the attacks.
They are a common sight in large parts of the country.
One city official declined to give their name but said that it was rare to see so many attacks in a short period of time. Children and women were the initial victims. Elderly people and adult men have also been targets recently.
Police patrols have failed to deter the culprits despite attempts to capture the animals with traps.
The assaults may be the work of a single rogue monkey.
Injuries have ranged from scratches to bites to neck and stomach injuries.
A four-year-old girl was scratched during an apartment break-in, as well as a monkey breaching a kindergarten class.
The primates have gained access to homes by sliding screen doors or entering through open windows.
Father told Japanese press that he heard crying from the ground floor. The monkey was hunching over my child.
The number of Japanese macaques has recently increased. They have been listed as a species of " Least Concern".
Their recovery has led to serious conflicts between people and macaques.
The distance between humans and macaques has decreased. Changing cultural attitudes towards macaques, changes in human behavior and changes in forest environments are some of the reasons why.
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