– Sacred No More –

The Japanese Macaque, best known as the ‘snow monkey,’ is revered as a bridge between man and the gods, but it has become so habituated to humans in recent years that its population has increased tenfold.

Now, the exploding monkey population in the countryside must raid crops to survive, and farmers are responding with homemade deterrents; meanwhile, macaques brought to the cities for the entertainment industry are a big hit with locals and tourists. Despite their protected status, it is now legal and acceptable to keep and train Japanese macaques—their lives as wild primates may be coming to an end. ̌