Takasaki yama (Mt. Takasaki) is a
forested mountain just south of Beppu and home to more than 1500 wild Japanese
macaque monkeys.
When local macaques began laying waste
to farmer’s fields and foraging for food in neighborhood trash cans, a city
official decided to alleviate the problem by luring the monkeys to the mountain
with a wistle and food. His plan worked and Takasaki yama has been home to the
Japanese macaques ever since.
The monkey park doesn’t function like a
zoo. There are no fences or bounderies, no off-limits areas for the macaques.
Visitors are cautioned to keep their distance, avoid aggressive behavior and
refrain from touching and feeding the monkeys. In return they get the
opportunity to observe these animals up close.
Three troupes of monkeys populate the
mountain and descend from the summit to eat, groom and play on the equipment
the park staff has constructed.
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