Overview
- About 50 paid, part‑time city workers in Azumino use GPS tracking, bells and whistles to herd macaques away from homes and farms.
- Azumino estimates roughly 600 macaques live in the city, and residents continue to report break‑ins and crop losses despite stepped‑up patrols.
- Government‑authorized hunters conduct culls, yet ecologists warn that removing whole troops can invite neighboring groups and drive survivors deeper into farmland.
- Japan’s Agriculture Ministry tallied 15.6 billion yen in crop losses to wild animals in 2022, with deer, boar and macaques responsible for about 70% of the total.
- Tourist‑friendly views at Jigokudani Monkey Park contrast with growing local frustration in the Northern Alps region.