Monkey Damage Management in Japan: A Case Study in Hyogo Prefecture, Western Japan

Abstract. Agricultural damage caused by wild Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) has become a serious problem in Japan. Residents have tried to protect their crop fields from monkey invasions, but the excellent physical and learning abilities of the monkeys have made the protection difficult. At present, many local governments are attempting to reduce the damage mainly through culling, but unplanned population management often results in over-culling, which consequently leads to local extinction. Here, I introduce a case study in Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, in which the local government simultaneously implemented three countermeasures: 1) organizing a monkey patrol group, 2) expanding inexpensive and easy-to-use electric fences, and 3) selective capturing of problem animals. After the implementation of these countermeasures, frequency of chasing away the monkeys around crop field (a total of 319 times in 2010 compared to less than 100 times in 2017) and amount of agricultural damage (2011: 2 925 000 JPY, 2017: 876 000 JPY) decreased. These results showed that in order to decrease agricultural damage while maintaining a stable monkey population, a combination of multiple countermeasures is a good solution, and methods applied in Kami Town should also be implemented in other areas where monkeys regularly damage crops.