Japanese Cops Unable to Counter Gorilla Tactics in Subway Standoff

Original Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/japan_wild_monkey_chase

Monkey eludes dragnet at Tokyo train station

By JAY ALABASTER, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 20, 4:16 PM ET

TOKYO - Morning train commuters in Tokyo were joined on their way to work by an unusual companion Wednesday: a wild monkey. A security guard spotted the monkey near ticket gates in Shibuya Station, said Norihiru Masui, a spokesman for train operator Tokyu Corp.

The monkey climbed to a perch high atop a departure board, and around 30 policemen surrounded the area and attempted to snare it with a variety of nets, as commuters crowded around and snapped pictures with their cell phones.

The standoff ended when the monkey climbed down and dashed out of the station, with several policeman and local TV crews in tow. News reports said the monkey was last seen heading in the direction of nearby Yoyogi Park.

The animal appeared to be a Japanese monkey, which are native to the country, and was about 27 inches (70 centimeters) long from head to the tip of the tail. No one was injured and no trains were delayed in the incident.

Japanese media have reported several monkey sightings in Tokyo recently, but it was unclear if they involved the same animal.

Monkeys have long made appearances in rural parts of Japan, where they have been known to damage crops, swipe food from grocery stalls and even bite humans. In recent years, growth in the monkey population has meant more frequent forays out of the forests and into farms and towns.

Monkey: The Next Dog?

Why do I envision this playing out like a Benny Hill routine? I think I hear saxophone...

J

Fun off topic fact learned from Top Gear: In Japan a train is considered "late" if it arrives 1 minute after the time its supposed to be there. If your train is late you don't pay. Something like 86% of trains are on time every year. Impressive.

I remember reading somewhere that with the growing population of Japanese monkeys versus the shrinking Japanese person population.. it will only be a matter of time before the Monkeys outnumber the humans in Japan

mad_machine wrote: I remember reading somewhere that with the growing population of Japanese monkeys versus the shrinking Japanese person population.. it will only be a matter of time before the Monkeys outnumber the humans in Japan

They will need to construct robots to fight them off.

Salanis wrote:

mad_machine wrote: I remember reading somewhere that with the growing population of Japanese monkeys versus the shrinking Japanese person population.. it will only be a matter of time before the Monkeys outnumber the humans in Japan

They will need to construct robots to fight them off.

Which will make it worse, everyone knows Robots use old peaples medicine for fuel. Old Glory Robot Insurance

The ensuing chaos will probably open a rift allowing a fleet of pirates back into our dimension. Introducing this element to the native home of Ninjas will cause an all-out war so awesome that the world will implode.

mad_machine wrote: I remember reading somewhere that with the growing population of Japanese monkeys versus the shrinking Japanese person population.. it will only be a matter of time before the Monkeys outnumber the humans in Japan

Then we need to teach them to pay their fare so we don't lose revenue as our customers die off.

Jay wrote: Why do I envision this playing out like a Benny Hill routine? I think I hear saxophone... J

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one that heard it while reading that article haha